


Experience

by scrumptiousinternetllama



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:07:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 50,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6599800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrumptiousinternetllama/pseuds/scrumptiousinternetllama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione returns to Hogwarts looking for work experience. The only position available however, is with her old potions master…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Experience **

**Desc: Hermione returns to Hogwarts looking for work experience. The only position available however, is with her old potions master…**

**(Hermione G. Severus S.) Dolores U.**

**This fic was originally posted on FanFiction.net but I've decided to post it here as back up as well :) The completed version is on Fanfiction.net where I'm under the same name as I am here :)**

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Hermione put down the phone and sighed. Another rejection. For the past few weeks she had been replying to ads in newspapers and websites, but all she got was rejection after rejection. Some were because she was "over qualified", (how on Earth was that a bad thing)?! And others didn't want a big name on their shoulders. But the resounding amount of rejections had been because she, "didn't have enough experience." She had fought against death eaters, performed healing magic in dire situations and brewed potions with barely any materials, with ingredients she had to source herself, (in the forests)! But they all wanted her to have experience in a "professional environment". She ran a hand through her hair in frustration and winced as they got caught in her knots. As she tugged her hand free a large brown owl flew through the window and dropped a stack of letters onto the table. She quickly skimmed through The Daily Prophet and glanced at The Quibbler. Then she turned her attention to the letters. "Bills. Bills. Bills…" She muttered flicking through them- "Oh what's this?!" She exclaimed, surprised. At the bottom of the pile there was a small envelope that was sealed with red wax. As she peered closer Hermione saw that it was the Hogwarts seal! Tearing open the envelope in excitement she read the letter hungrily, her eyes devouring every word. It said:

Dear Miss Granger,

We would like to inform you about the event that is taking place three weeks from today. As you probably know your five year reunion is around the corner. We hope you could attend so you can revisit Hogwarts and catch up with old friends. The dress code is formal evening wear. We hope to see you soon.

Signed,

_Minerva McGonagall_

Hogwarts headmistress.

Hermione leaned back in her chair grinning, she'd love to catch up with old friends! Sighing, Hermione thought to what her friends had become; Harry and Ron had gone on to become successful and well respected aurors, Neville had become the Hogwarts herbology teacher and Luna had become the chief editor of The Quibbler. Draco, Dean, Parvati and Padma all had families as well. But her… Well the massive media storm and huge coverage of the battle of Hogwarts had kept her busy for a while and she had made enough money to be able to sit at home and relax comfortably. However she had recently visited her vault at Gringotts, (after a while), and had found the amount of galleons had decreased dramatically. She visited a Gringotts goblin and he had sent charms around her home, telling her the price of everything. It didn't take them long to figure out that _she_ had spent all of the missing galleons.

Since then she had been looking for job after job with nothing to show for it. And her love life. Nothing there either. The media coverage she was geting after the battle made it difficult to see anyone without The Daily Prophet shouting about it on the front page. And really, after finding out about her financial issues, she hadn't given romance a second thought. Hermione groaned, she had to get some work experience.

Soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Severus yawned as he lay down on his bed. Today had been a _long_ day.

He had taught three groups of first years, who had managed to destroy five of his cauldrons and burn a hole through a table. A group of fourth years whose hormones seemed to block their rational thoughts, (there had been two squabbles over a boy), and a group who were close to taking their O.W.L.S. A young girl from _that_ class had burst into tears after she forgot to add Murtlap essence to her Felix Felicis. And _then_ to top off the day, Minerva summoned him to help her send off the reuninon invitations. As if it wasn't already enough that he had to sort out the catering!

Now sitting in his own chambers he could _finally_ rela- KNOCK KNOCK! Severus bolted upright, seething. _Another_ person to disrupt his peace. He yanked the door open.

"What?" He barked.

"The headmistress wanted to see you." Muttered Filch.

"What did she want?"

Filch shrugged. Severus bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself cursing and shoved past the caretaker.

"What did you want?" Snape demanded as he entered the office without knocking.

Minerva looked up, "I simply wanted to know if the issues with dessert had been cleared up."

"No. They refused to take an order so big, so I asked a favour from Rosmerta. She was more than happy to cater, and might I add willing to do it for a much lower price, seeing as our students make most of her money."

"Very well. She knows the date I trust?"

"Yes." Snape ground out impatiently.

"What does the menu consist of? Don't worry Severus, this is the last question."

"Good," Snape muttered, "the menu is only snacks, not a formal meal as everyone will be talking and mingling all night. It consists of pumpkin pasties, butterbeer, some dragon milk cheese and more that she says are 'favourites' at The Three Broomsticks. I also stopped by Honeydukes to put an order in for Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans as well. Satisfied?"

"I am. You may go."

Severus had arrived back in his chambers. He needed someone to help him with his workload. An assistant of sorts. Having to run after everything himself was becoming quite tedious.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has left 'kudos', commented and read this story :)**

Chapter 3 

Hermione had lay in bed and worried all night about what would happen at the reunion if people heard that she, the smartest girl in her year hadn't been able to get a job. She could already imagine the snickers and whispers. Shuddering, she sat up. _Time to get up before I stay here all day._

Hermione quickly showered and dressed, and for once she actually made an effort to straighten her hair, (with some extra help from Sleekeazy). The checklist she had set for the day was almost done.

Shower X  
Change into something smart X  
Do hair properly X  
(First impressions count)!  
Search for work experience at:

After this point Hermione was stuck. She couldn't think of anywhere to look for work experience. Racking her brain she tried hard to think of where she could find some. As she was thinking a black owl flew through the window. Hermione didn't own an owl so the local post office received her letters and sent them to her house with their owls and her replies were sent to her friends by the post office owls as well.

She didn't bother looking at The Daily Prophet or The Quibbler as two envelopes with distinctive writing had caught her eye. She smiled as she opened the first one:

Hey Hermione,  
It's Ron. I got the letter to the reunion and I can't wait! Everyone will be so different and we get to go back to Hogwarts! Five years have passed really quickly don't you think? Anyway doing anything new? In your last letter you were looking for a job right? Why don't you look for a position at Hogwarts? You love the school and it gives Harry and me an excuse to visit more often too. Think about it, the teachers all know how amazing you are. Anyway I was thinking of wearing dress robes. No, not the ones I wore to the Yule Ball, some really nice ones I just bought, No ruffles though, thank Merlin. What are you going to wear?

Ron.

She smiled at the memory of the dress robes Ron wore at the Yule Ball and opened the next letter:

Hiya Hermione,  
It's Harry. I've had a busy week this week because of the upcoming quidditch game. We had to evaluate whether or not the security was good enough. You'd never know that much testing goes into only the security of the pitch! It's ridiculous! About jobs, if you're still looking for them. There might be some positions in the ministry that you could do. I mean you're really smart and me, Ron and you could hang out a lot more too.

Just a thought,  
Harry.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at how similarly the two of them wrote letters. Short and to the point. However she knew that teaching positions at Hogwarts and ministerial positions required experience, but their suggestions _had_ sparked an idea.

Look for work experience at:  
The Ministry  
Hogwarts

She couldn't get an actual job at either place yet, but she could look for work experience there. She put on her travelling cloak.

She loved her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**This chapter is going to be from both Hermione and Severus' point of view. I think I'm going to be doing this for a lot of the chapters ahead so I thought I'd let you know. :)**   
**Hermione's viewpoint first!**   
**Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

After getting told by the receptionist that the ministry didn't give work experience at this time of year, Hermione had apparated to Hogwarts. Apparating just outside the gates, (there were charms repelling apparation inside the grounds), Hermione refused to be disheartened by the rejection and walked confidently through the gates.

When she got inside she immediately made her way to the head teachers office. She shivered at how familiar the stone corridors looked and pushed down the feeling of home sickness she felt. Coming face to face with the stone gargoyle she groaned. She had forgotten all about the password. Turning around to find someone to help her, Hermione gasped as she came face to face with her old head of house. "Professor Mconagall," she breathed.

"Miss Granger!" Exclaimed the new headmistress, "my word have you grown!"

Now she was sat in the heads office with a pumpkin pastie and a cup of tea. "Now Miss Granger," began Professor Mconagall, "as nice as it would be I don't think you came here for a chat. Why did you come here?"

"You're right Professor, there is a reason." Hermione couldn't keep the smile off her face. For the past half an hour she had been catching up with her old transfiguration teacher and had almost forgotten why she had visited in the first place.

Almost.

"I was hoping to get some work experience. You see, ever since the coverage of the battle died down, my financial situation hasn't been the best. I've tried looking for jobs but most require experience."

Professor Mconagall raised her eyebrow, "Miss Granger, I highly doubt you have a lack of experience."

Hermione sighed, "The issue is they wanted me to have experience in a professional environment. I've looked for work experience at the ministry but they don't do it at this time of year... Hogwarts is my last hope." She whispered the last sentence and it remained ominously in the air after she spoke it. Without warning Professor Mconagall stood up and swept out of the room.

* * *

Severus hadn't been able to take even a lunch break all day. His hectic teaching schedule contributed to it as did the reunion preparations. Today another problem had faced them. The decorations had arrived early. Filch and Hagrid were going to clear out one of the storage rooms tomorrow in time for the decorations, but their early arrival caused a rushed effort by Snape, ( _by himself_ ), to get them stored away before they got trampled on. He completed the task just in time for lunch to finish so he didn't get to eat.

Now he had gotten a house elf to bring his food. His stomach rumbled. Why wasn't it back yet? A timid knock on the door signalled the elfs return. Snape didn't even wait for it to leave before digging in and quickly finished the plate. Since it was five pm he didn't have anyone else to teach. He decided to take a nap.

Severus felt someone shaking him and his eyes flew open. Seeing Minerva he gritted his teeth and hissed, "what?"

"I would like you in my office within the next thirty minutes." Minerva said, looking amused.

"Fine," he groaned, "I'll be there."

After the headmistress left, Snape got out of bed and briskly got dressed. He grabbed a hairbrush and dragged it through his hair a few times. Putting on his shoes, he left his chambers.

Arriving at the head mistresses door he found it ajar. Taking it as an invitation he walked right in. "Severus," smiled Minerva, "you were looking for an assistant?" Severus' jaw dropped as a young woman appeared from behind the head teacher.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

He recovered himself quickly. "Um, hello Professor Snape." Murmured the young woman.

"Granger," he sneered, (out of habit), "to what might I owe the pleasure of seeing you after all these years?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"Miss Granger here was looking for work experience."

"Work experience? Why would the famous oh so brave Miss Granger need _work experience_?" The insufferable Gryffindor had turned red enough to match her house colour.

"Severus," snapped Minerva, "Miss Granger will be your assistant or you won't have one full stop." Snape glared at the head mistress.

"Fine." He spat out and stormed out of the room.

He slammed the door to his room shut _. Hermione Granger?! Of all people Hermione Granger was the one that had to become his assistant. Of course! Just his luck wasn't it? Having a little know it all harping on at him all day. He had to deal with the students he already had and now_ her _._ He paced the length of his room _. What would he do now?_ He sat on his bed with his head in his hands.

* * *

"Professor Mconagall, there's no need to help me if my presence causes problems!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Nonsense Miss Granger, Severus has always had a bad attitude towards anything Gryffindor and it's time he got over it." Professor Mconagall answered, walking back to her desk.

After Professor Mconagall had left the room, Hermione had stayed seated, unsure of what she was supposed to do. However it wasn't long before Minerva returned. "Where did you go?" Hermione had asked.

"Oh, you'll see Miss Granger." The head mistress had smiled reassuringly. After that, they had begun chatting again but someone had entered the room. Minerva had stood up smiling to greet them.

"Severus, you were looking for an assistant?" Hermione's stomach had plummeted upon hearing her old potions masters' name.

"Um, hello Professor Snape." She had tried to sound confident and professional, but had failed spectacularly.

The Professor sneered at her, (he probably sensed her dread), and said, "Why would the _famous_ Miss Granger need _work experience_?" Or something along those lines. She was too embarrassed by that point to remember.

The one thing she did know as clear as day was, she was now Severus Snape's assistant.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Professor Mconagall insisted she stay for the night as her first day of work experience was the next day. Because Hermione was tired from all the travelling she had done that day, she gave in and asked if she could be excused from eating in the great hall. She really was tired but a small part of her knew that wasn't the main reason she didn't want to eat there. the main reason was because she didn't want to bump into Snape. After the altercation with him in the heads office, Hermione was worried about what he might say to her if he saw her again. Stretching, Hermione made her way to her room. All the travelling she had done had made her feel grimy. She needed to get a shower.

Professor Mconagall had told her that the only room available was in the dungeons of the castle. She had summoned a house elf to take Hermione to her room. As she entered Hermione gasped, the room was _huge_ , with a high ceiling and an open layout. There was a large chandelier that held 17 candles in it that illuminated the room, making shadows dance each time a flame flickered, a queen sized bed with duvets covered in black silk and silver embroidery on the edges and a mahogany dressing table with a small matching stool stood in front of it that had intricate carvings in the dark wood. The walls were painted turquoise and had black wallpaper like lace over the paint allowing the turquoise to peep through. Someone had also taken the kind step to add two extra silver candelabras and candles on her bedside drawers. And a turquoise hairbrush, blanket and a pair of turquoise pyjamas.

Hermione had almost finished her shower when she heard a cracking noise- she couldn't contain a scream. "Sorry Miss!" Came a squeak.

"Who's there?!" She asked, cursing the fact she didn't have her wand with her. She wasn't about to leave the meagre defence the shower curtain provided.

"Nobby miss!" Came a panicked voice. A house elf.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked, relaxing but still wary.

"To collect dirty clothes miss." The squeak sounded dejected and Hermione felt terrible.

She softened her voice and said, "Take them Nobby. But don't come into the bathroom when I'm not prepared, okay?"

"Yes miss."

After she dried herself she reached out for her clothes and gasped. _They weren't there!_ She groaned as she realised that Nobby must have taken them. Almost slapping herself when she remembered her room was at the bottom of the corridor, Hermione realised her only option was to run. _Who would be in the dungeons at this time? No one! Everyone's eating dinner… I'll need to be fast._ Opening the bathroom door she peeked around the corner. The corridor was empty. She ran. As she was running she kept her eyes glued to her door-

BANG!

Just as she had reached the end of the corridor, Hermione slipped onto the hard stone floor. She attempted to get herself up, only to see _Snape_ turning round the corner right in front of her. In what felt like slow motion, she saw his expression contort into one of horror as he saw her completely bare. He spluttered for a fraction of a second, turned and ran the way he came.

Mortified, Hermione dragged herself up knowing the pain in her hip was going to be a bruise by tomorrow.

* * *

Severus had sprinted back down the corridor, taking the long way back to his room.

He had eaten in the great hall and decided to go back to his chambers, not wanting to listen to the idle chatter going on around him.

He shuddered now with his back against the door, wishing he had just stayed where he was. He changed into his pyjamas and tried to sleep.

_He was walking down the corridor to his room and he turned round the corner. He gasped as he saw a naked Hermione with her legs spread wide. He turned around to run back the way he came, but he felt something slide around his leg. It was Hermione's leg. He turned back around to find her looking at him from under her lashes. She used her leg to pull him closer to her but he lost his balance and toppled onto her. His clothes had suddenly vanished and he could feel every inch of himself against her. One of her hands had found his hair and the other his hips. His hands were trailing up her legs, one of them gripping her waist and the other rubbed her side. She hissed playfully as he gently rubbed little circles on her. The hand that was gripping his hair pushed him closer to her mouth and she kissed him hard. He slipped his tongue in, tracing it gently along the roof of her mouth, tickling her. One of her legs had snaked around his waist and she used it to rock against him. Teasing him by not allowing him to enter her._

Severus gasped desperately for air. He scrambled out of bed and took a shot of dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Now it was morning. Which meant it was her first day being Severus' assistant. What would she do?! After yesterdays… Episode, she wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes without turning bright red. She forced herself up and got changed into a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. Realising she would be in the dungeons all day if she was working with Snape, she put on a woolly cardigan and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. _I wouldn't want my hair to fall into a potion._

As she sat down in the great hall, Mconagall took one look at her and chuckled. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, wiping at her mouth. _Did she have food on her face?_

"Oh Hermione," Minerva said, collecting herself. "You don't have anything on your face."

"Then why did you laugh?" She asked, stung.

"It just made me laugh how you're dressed like a muggle version of Severus!" She chuckled again. Hermione's cheeks flushed as the memory of last night resurfaced in her mind. Minerva mistook her red cheeks as her being upset, "Hermione dear, I wasn't insulting you." She said. Her eyes were gentle.

"I know," Hermione sighed, "I'm probably still tired, that's all." She attempted a smile.

"Well, you'll need to keep awake if you're going to be Severus' assistant."

* * *

Severus' eyes opened. He didn't want to get out of bed. Getting out of bed would mean having to face _her._ He shuddered as he sat up, remembering the dream. _Where on Earth had that come from?_ He knew that seeing Hermione… Undressed had probably been a big part of it. He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. How would he look her in the eyes? Wait. Did she practice legilimency? It would only be natural that she'd want to know what he was thinking after yesterday. Well, it was a good thing he was a gifted occlumens. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her finding out about the dream. He got out of bed and dressed quickly, shoving on a black shirt, pants and robes. Today he decided to put his hair back as he had a practical lesson first thing after breakfast. With his first years. And Granger.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

It was all Hermione could do, to not run away. Breakfast had passed without her having any form of communication with Professor Snape. But now it was time for lessons to start and she didn't know how she'd avoid him whilst being stuck in the same room as him all day. She entered his classroom to find he wasn't there. That was odd. He was never late to his lessons. Pacing, she twiddled her thumbs to occupy herself. Outside the door, Hermione could hear the first years jostling and shouting and she wondered if she should let them in. All of a sudden the shouting stopped and she soon found out why. Professor Snape swept through the classroom door and was followed by thirty scared looking first years, who lined up against the back wall. "Today," began Professor Snape, "we will be doing a practical. The last attempt was abysmal. I do NOT," the kids flinched, "want a repeat performance." His eyes scanned them all and they fiercely avoided eye contact, "understood?" The room was silent. "UNDERSTOOD?!" He yelled. The kids nodded, visibly paler. "Get to work!" Snape snarled. Hermione had stood behind him, seemingly forgotten. She remembered when she was a student. Looking at the blackboard, she saw his handwriting hadn't changed a bit and now as she watched him do a demonstration she remembered the way his elegant hands held the cauldron and the way his fingers flexed whenever he stirred the potion. She sighed, thinking of how it would feel to hold them han- wait. Was she fantasizing about Snape's hands? "Granger!" He snapped, "Get me those dried nettles!" The rest of the lesson passed in a blur as she scurried around, procuring Snape his ingredients and concealing her red cheeks.

She didn't look him in the eyes once.

* * *

The lesson had passed without any cauldron explosions. Only four of the groups had managed to make a successful boils curing potion. The other six groups had failed miserably. Severus had caught the Granger girl staring at his hands while he did the demonstration more than once and it made him uncomfortable. However that had made him dive into his work with a gusto to distract himself from her gaze. Not wanting to stay a second longer in the room with _her_ inside it, he had left as soon as his lessons finished, casting a self-cleaning charm on the equipment.

Now he was in Minerva's office, fine tuning the plan for the decorations and he had never experienced a more tedious task in his life. "So Severus, how was your first day with an assistant?" Minerva asked.

"The girl did a better job than expected, but it's incredibly irritating when I ask the students a question and her hand shoots up to answer it." Minerva shot him a look.

"I'm surprised you didn't keep her behind to yell at her." Severus rolled his eyes. "Just remember, she isn't a little girl anymore. She's a woman." _Oh I know she is._ Severus turned bright red. Where had that thought come from?! Minerva seemed to think his red cheeks were because of her telling off and dismissed him. If only it were that simple.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Hermione had been unsure of what to do after the lessons had ended. Getting changed out of the clothes she was in, (they had gotten a bit stained), she decided to take a walk.

As Hermione walked she remembered how beautiful the grounds were. She couldn't help but smile as memories of her, Ron and Harry filled her brain. She closed her eyes an- "OUCH!"

"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" Said a rushed looking man, picking her up of the ground.

"Neville!" She squealed. He gasped as he recognised her.

"Hermione! It's been so long since I've seen you!" He paused as his brows furrowed, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm being Professor Snape's assistant." She said, trying to sound upbeat about it. Neville winced. _Had he not gotten over his fear of the professor? They were colleagues now!_

"Must be a nightmare," he said, chuckling. "How long have you been here?"

"It isn't as bad as you'd think it'd be. And I've only been here since last night. I didn't see you at breakfast?"

"Oh, I was eating with Hagrid. He wanted a quiet morning after dealing with Blast-Ended Screwts all night."

Hermione chuckled, "He hasn't changed a bit has he?"

"Not one bit."

Hermione grinned, "Where were you rushing off to?"

"Poppy needed an emergency batch of Skele-Gro that she left in the greenhouse."

"Poppy?"

"Oh, Madame Pomfrey," Neville's eyes looked deep in thought for a moment, "I forgot that you're not on a first name basis."

"I know, you seem so comfortable in this job. It's like you've been here forever."

"It seems strange to think five years ago we were students." They both fell silent, each lost to their own respective memories. "Well," Neville said, snapping out of it, "I'd best not keep Popp- _Madame Pomfrey_ waiting."

"Bye!" She called after his fast retreating back.

* * *

Severus had finally been pushed to his limit. "What are you talking about Sybill?!" He yelled. The deranged old bat had barged into his office, howling about tea leaves and bad omens and was currently in hysterics about the stars. _The bloody stars_.

"What's all the ruckus abou-" Exclaimed Filius, ducking just in time as Trelawney threw a stool across the room.

"Silencio." Growled Snape. The room went silent save for Flitwick's heavy breathing and Trelawney's flapping robes. "Immobulus, Filius could you take her to her chambers and give her a calming draught while I clean up this mess?" The charms professor nodded and swiftly went into action. After he left, Snape looked at his office. The papers he was marking before the disruption were all over his floor with splinters of wood scattered on them. The stool the distressed witch had thrown, had multiple scratches and was missing a leg. Severus bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself screaming in frustration and focused on happier times. Once he summoned his patronus he sent it to Hermione summoning her to his office. Watching as the panther clambered out of his office he thought, _she was his assistant; she could clean up this mess._


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Only Hermione's point of view this time :)**

Chapter 10

The rest of the week flew by and before she knew it the kids were leaving for their holidays. Once they left, the preparations for the reunion got into full swing. With two weeks left till the reunion, Hermione was sure they could prepare and decorate in time. During her breaks she watched as the great hall was decorated each day and it was truly breath-taking.

Hermione had just finished helping Professor Flitwick- or Filius as he now asked her to call him- enlarge a few tables and decided to head back to her chambers for a rest. When she got back to her room, (she had remained in the dungeons), Hermione found a small black owl waiting for her with a letter in its beak. She opened up the letter:

Dear Hermione,  
I thought I'd write to you as the reunion is coming up soon and I haven't gotten anything to wear! I know I've left it really late but could you join me this weekend to go shopping? Harry's told me about your work placement at Hogwarts, (congratulations), though it must be a nightmare working for Snape. But I'll understand if your busy because if I'm guessing correctly you're helping prepare for the reunion. Let me know if you're free though!

Ginny.

Hermione smacked her forehead, "I forgot about a dress!" She needed to find Minerva to see if she could get the weekend off.

She found Minerva in her office sorting through RSVPs for the reunion and realised that she herself hadn't sent one back. "I'll be coming too." Said Hermione, jotting it down for Minerva and effectively breaking the silence.

"I didn't doubt you were coming dear." Said the elder of the two, "was there something you needed?"

"I was wondering if I could take this weekend off…"

"Doing something special?" Minerva enquired, cocking her head to the side.

"Well I just received a letter from Ginny. Ginny Weasley that is, asking if I'd go shopping with her for a reunion dress. I wouldn't have minded not going, but I remembered I hadn't bought one either. Would it be okay for me to go?"

"Of course! Though I must admit I'm surprised at you Miss Granger. You're not one to leave things to the last minute."

Hermione blushed, "It had completely slipped my mind. I was preoccupied with a lot of things. And I've only just settled into my new role as an assistant…" She trailed off realising that Professor Mconagall hadn't been telling her off. "Look at me rambling." She said, chuckling.

"You've asked Severus already, I presume?" Hermione stilled. "Why would I need to ask him?"

"Despite the fact that I'm head mistress, you're still _Severus'_ assistant. Haven't you asked him?" Hermione shook her head. "Ask soon… And when he's in a good mood." She warned.

"Is he ever in a good mood?" Hermione joked. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Goodbye dear." Hermione left the office with her back straight and her shoulders back. Like she was going into battle.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Severus was in the middle of creating a batch of sober up potion for the reunion, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He stopped stirring to glare at whoever had dared to disturb him when he was creating such a delicate potion. He almost fell backwards but quickly regained his composure. "Miss Granger. What do _you_ want?"

"I- uh," She stuttered. The potion bubbled behind him.

"Spit it out!" He snapped.

"I-uh wanted to ask i-if I could take the weekend off?"

"You want to take the weekend off?" He repeated back to her slowly, non-verbally turning down the heat on his potion. She nodded. "No."

"Wh-what? Why?" she spluttered, her cheeks gaining colour.

"Have you forgotten we're planning a reunion? Or are you too wrapped up with yourself like a typical self-absorbed Gryffindor?"

"I've finished my tasks, I only have two left!" Her statement was laced with indignation. Something which greatly irritated Severus. Before he could formulate a reply, someone spoke from the doorway.

"I don't know what you two are arguing about but Hermione _has_ finished most of her tasks. The remaining couple will be done by tomorrow easily." Severus looked up as Hermione turned around. He glared at Flitwick.

"He's not letting me take the weekend off, even though I've finished everything I had to do!" Whined Hermione.

"Severus, what's the harm in letting her go?" Flitwick asked, arching his eyebrow.

Severus growled, "Fine! Get out of my laboratory!" Hermione raised her hands in mock surrender and left the room with Flitwick. "Insufferable," he grumbled. "Absolutely insufferable."

By the time the evening meal came around, Severus had finished all his work and he was _hungry_. So hungry, that despite being exhausted he couldn't wait for his meal to be brought to his room. He changed out of his black robes, which had gathered dust from the old tables he'd brought out and changed into a nearly identical set. He kept his hair open and hanging in his face, so everyone knew that he wasn't up for a conversation.

Upon reaching the great hall, Severus found that the front table was filled up. His eyes desperately scanned the table for a spare seat. _There_ was one! When he got closer to the table he stopped suddenly. The seat was in between _Trelawney and Granger_. Both were equally irritating. The thought of having to sit between them made him growl angrily, making a first year look up in alarm. Severus glared at him until he looked back down at his plate, which didn't take long. His stomach grumbled loudly. Sighing he thought, _I'll just have to ignore them._ Food was his priority right now.

Once he sat down, Minerva let the meal commence. A bowl appeared in front of him filled with soup. Breathing in deeply he smelled tomato and basil. Beside the bowls a small wooden chopping board appeared with two bread rolls. Wanting to tuck in hungrily, Severus had to reprimand himself, _what good would it do for your students to see you eating like an animal? Have some sense of dignity._ Once he'd finished his first course the second appeared. A chicken and leek pie with chips. Despite the fact that the soup had taken the edge off his hunger, the smell wafting up to him now almost sent him over the edge. _Food,_ he thought to himself, _food is what's taking you over the edge? Merlin, you need to get laid Severus._

Looking at his surroundings Severus felt quite bored. Just as that though popped into his head he saw Sybill turn towards him from the corner of his eye and turned quickly to the other side. Hermione had been talking to Minerva so she didn't realise he had turned towards her so suddenly. Severus watched as she broke off a piece of chocolate cake. As she leaned forward to eat it Severus noticed her hair was dangerously close to the custard and he absent-mindedly reached up. As he tucked her hair behind her ear, her shocked expression suddenly registered with Severus. _Shit, you idiot Severus!_ He stood up and left the great hall.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I know my chapters are already short, so I'm apologising in advance because this one is even shorter. It just didn't feel right for me to add any extra to this. Hopefully the quality will make up for the quantity. Fingers crossed…**

Chapter 12

Her eyes followed Snape as he left the great hall. _What was that all about?_ Hermione stood up said her goodnights as she'd decided to sleep early. Whilst leaving the great hall she said goodnight to a few teachers who were outside the great hall and started walking. Her mind wandered while she walked, but all trains of thought led back to Severus. _Oh, so now it's_ Severus? Her mind mocked. _All he had to do was touch a strand of hair and you jump to_ Severus. Hermione sat down on a stone wall, unsure as to how she had entered the gardens in the first place. She remembered how, just days ago she was curious about Snape's touch. And now, just minutes ago, she had felt it. It was only a light brush against her cheek that trailed up to her temple. Only a moment of contact. Yet, the fresh memory of it made goose bumps rise on her jaw. Or was it the cold night's air? It was near impossible for her to tell the difference. Hermione begun to shiver as the wind picked up, and longed for his touch to return, to become something firmer. Something to surround her and keep the cold out. She gasped as she felt firm hands press a cloak around her, holding it in place around her shoulders. Her eyelids fluttered before she found something to focus on. _Him._ Well, not him specifically, but his shoes. Willing herself to stay still, (for surely if she moved, she would shatter this delicate moment), Hermione found herself relaxing. She slumped forward, succumbing to sleep.

She didn't feel those hands that she longed for, scoop her up and take her to her room.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

Severus carried Hermione to her room, laying her carefully on the bed. Once he made sure she was comfortable, he took off her shoes and covered her with a turquoise blanket. Surveying her room, he had to admit it was impressive. But however impressive it was, it still seemed unexpected. Hermione had never been one for the grand and gothic; she seemed to be the type to go for a cream room that had a single bed with a checked blanket. Something simple. _You're not her best friend Severus,_ his mind scoffed, _how would you know what she likes or doesn't like?_ Severus shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed, tentatively. Well, it was time for him to go back to his own room. Glancing back at Hermione, Severus stepped out of the door. Leaning against it, he pondered the fact that there was a person in there. Just on the other side of the door. Sleeping peacefully, with no troubles. Troubles that would no doubt return when she awoke. At least she had a job now, but with him? He wondered why such a bright witch had become _his_ assistant, when she had the capability to become whatever she wanted.

Back in his own chambers Severus undressed, finding that even in the chilly dungeons he felt too hot. Was he coming down with something? Deciding to stay undressed, he lay on his bed, not bothering to cover himself with a blanket.

* * *

RIIIIINNGG!

Hermione jolted upright. Pressing the button on the alarm clock, she gasped. How had she entered her room? Unable to remember anything, Hermione clutched her head for any traces of a memory. Nothing. Just then a silvery blue cat, which looked like it was made from smoke, came tumbling through her door. She yelped, clasping a hand over her mouth when she realised it was only a patronus.

Now she was on her way to Severus' room. The patronus had been Minerva's and she had asked Hermione to send him to her office. The cold in the dungeons was bad for her knees, the patronus had told her. Her heart was in her throat as she wondered how she would be received. Arriving at his door, she took a deep breath to calm herself and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. No answer. Opening the door slowly, she gasped at what she saw. Snape, clad only in his underwear was starting to wake up. She shut the door quickly but not before she had seen his erection. She shouldn't have been surprised, most men had morning wood. But seeing it on Severus just didn't seem right. Pretending she hadn't just entered his room, she knocked on the closed door. It sounded like on the other side of the door there was a lot of scuffling. Then the door opened and Severus Snape stood before her in all his bed headed glory wearing a black robe. She blushed when she thought about what was under it, so cleverly concealed. "What?" He grumbled sleepily.

Biting her lip to stop herself laughing she said, "Minerva wanted to see you in her office."

"Anything else?"

"No." The door slammed in her face.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!  
This chapter is a lot longer than what I usually do, so I cut it short towards the end. I'm carrying on from where I left off in the next chapter though!**

Chapter 14

"Severus?" Minerva's voice snapped him out of his daydream. Another boring day of planning. He had thought it was something important to be roused so early _on a weekend_ but it was just lighting. He would rather be brewing but he didn't have a reason to be doing so. Having a purpose was key when he was brewing otherwise it was a waste of time. Even when he just did it for fun he'd always have a purpose, it was his motivation.

After he'd finished his meeting with Minerva he made his way to the charms classroom. Flitwick stored some of his ingredients in his classroom, when Severus didn't have enough space. Rushing up the staircase he groaned as it begun to move. _Bloody brilliant, Severus! Now it's going to take twice as long._ He ran the rest of the way up and heard a yelp as he hit something hard. _Her._ Severus whipped out his arm and managed to catch her before her head hit the floor. Both stared into each other's eyes panting heavily. It was then that Severus lifted her up. She stumbled into his chest, startling him. To cover it up he said, "You seem to have lost the ability to stand up straight."

She stepped back, her cheeks flushed, " _You_ bumped into _me_." It was then that Severus noticed she was wearing different clothes to what she usually wore. She was wearing a mid-length blue dress with black leggings and brown shoes. It was a contrast to her usual jeans, t-shirt and robe but it still held that modesty he liked about her. _You like about her? Get a grip Severus, you've only known her for a week,_ he thought. But the other part of his brain was reared up now. _And seven years prior to that as well!_  
 _That was when she was a_ student _._

"I don't have time for this." He said, pushing past her.

* * *

Hermione watched Severus walk away, stung. This morning he had slammed the door in her face and now he'd told her she wasn't worth his time. _I have more important matters than him._ And it was true. Today she was meeting Ginny for her shopping trip. Well, _their_ shopping trip. She was already late and her run in with Snape hadn't exactly helped either.

As soon as she passed the gates, Hermione apparated to Hogsmeade. Then she made her way to The Three Broomsticks. Upon entering The Three Broomsticks, Hermione saw Ginny waiting at a table. The red head waved her over and pointed to a butterbeer on the table.

"Thanks Gin," Hermione said gratefully, taking a sip.

"No problem. You were late so I guessed you'd be rushing. And when someone's all out of breath from rushing a butterbeer feels amazing."

"It really does." Chuckling, Hermione went on, "Where are we going to start?"

"I was thinking here. There's a small shop a bit further down the road that sells clothes for special occasions."

"Have you ever been inside?"

"Nope, but there's a first time for everything!" Ginny said brightly. Hermione shook her head, swallowing the last of her drink.

"You sound so much like Harry and Ron, it's unbelievable."

Grinning, Ginny said, "Well, considering I've spent most of my life with one and was spending most of my recent time with the other, it's no surprise really."

"Today you've got rational me. I'll pull you to the side of logic." She frowned at Ginny but couldn't hold up the pretence for long. Laughing, Ginny paid for the drinks and they set off.

Browsing through the very last shelf, Hermione turned to Ginny and whispered. "I don't think there's anything _current_ here." The red head nodded and pointed to the doorway. As they began to make their way out, the shop owner bustled up to them.

"What about these?" The elderly woman suggested thrusting two dusty robes at them. Hermione heard Ginny wince as she looked at them, but thankfully the old woman didn't seem to notice.

"We'll think about it but I-uh I have an appointment right now." She lied. With that she grabbed Ginny's hand and rushed outside.

"Where to?" Ginny asked.

Thinking fast Hermione said, "Diagon Alley."

Side-along apparation never failed to make Hermione nauseous, and today was no exception. "Gin, can we sit down somewhere?" Asked Hermione.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale." Her friend asked.

"Just side-along apparation. It's never sat well with my stomach." Attempting a grin, she grimaced. "I'll just go to the loo and wash my face. I'll be back in a minute Gin."

"Shall I grab you a bottle of water?" Ginny offered.

"No need. I'm sure I'll feel better after I wash my face." _I'm lucky to have a friend like Ginny._ Hermione thought as she made her way to the toilets.

Once she got back out, she was greeted with a vial of sickness potion and a bottle of water. Swallowing the contents of the jar she shuddered. It tasted awful. Gratefully, she drank the bottle of water, washing away the bitter taste. "Thanks Gin, I needed that."

"You needed it. See the colour's coming back to your face."

Despite the fact that Hermione had Harry and Ron for her best friends, Ginny had also been amazing. Her only friends being two boys left Hermione craving someone to have some feminine time with someone, and Ginny had filled that role perfectly, (though living in a house of boys had made her less feminine than most). Her adventurous and vivacious personality, coupled with Hermione's practical and logical one, made them balance each other out into one awesome person. They were always supportive of each other as well, like when Ginny's quidditch career took off. Even though Hermione wasn't interested in sports, she was always there to cheer Ginny on from the stands. And when Hermione couldn't take the pressure of being constantly watched, Ginny had brought Harry's invisibility cloak and they'd had a wild night out, right under the noses of the reporters.

Now the two of them were peering in through the windows of Madame Malkins and decided to go in. A shopping assistant came over and asked what they were looking for. "We have a school reunion coming up soon." Said Hermione.

"The dress code is formal evening wear." Ginny added.

"Our evening wear is upstairs, follow me." They followed the petite blonde up the stairs and into what seemed like another dimension. All around them were dresses, robes and dress robes of different colours, styles and sizes.

"Where to start?" Murmured Ginny.

The shop assistant heard her and suggested, "We could start with the cut ma'am. Long or short?"

"Long." Both the girls agreed. The assistant grabbed a piece of parchment and jotted it down.

"We're going to measure you and see what long dresses are available. And then you can pick a colour you'd like and narrow it down like that. Is that okay?"

"Perfect." Said Ginny.

"But we're both the same size?"

"In regular stores, yes, but in Madame Malkins we use exact measurements, not averages." Hermione was impressed by the assistant. She really knew her stuff.

"Where do we get measured?"


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**It's another longer chapter this time. I didn't know I could go on about shopping this much! We've also got an OC in this chapter, and I think she might appear in the story later.**

Chapter 15

Once her and Ginny were measured, they sat down on one of the leather sofas and waited for what dresses were available. The system at Madame Malkins was that you were measured and then you got dresses that suited your body. Hermione entertained the thought that she might shop here more often but stopped herself with a reality check. _Look at how much you're earning._ _Do you really think you could afford to shop_ here? The shopping assistant returned, "We have one more thing to do before we start to narrow the dresses down ma'am."

Ginny looked curiously at the assistant, "What's that?"

"A personality test miss"

"Why do we have to do a personality test?"

"People are friends because of their personalities, right?" The girls nodded. "In the wizarding word we also have that example in wands." The girls nodded again. "It's the same thing with a dress ma'am. You're not going to like it if it doesn't match you. What you like. The personality test helps us get a better insight into who you are, without being too intrusive. It's designed so that we know what you're comfortable with and whether you realise it or not, what you _need_ ma'am _._ " Hermione was fascinated. She never knew so much could go into dress-making, she'd always thought it a very basic thing.

"Is that why people have 'The Dress' when they're wedding shopping?" even Ginny's interest seemed piqued, she'd never bothered with fashion that much. Another similar trait of theirs. They passed through a gauzy black curtain into a room that was pure white.

"Yes ma'am." It was like an uninterrupted cube. The only thing that disrupted the flow of the room was two desks and even they were white. The assistant conjured two chairs and motioned for the girls to sit.

"Why is this room just white?"

"It's white so that you're not influenced in your answers in anyway. A small sketch of a rabbit on the wall could change your entire mood. We want to have a blank canvas to start on miss. The test will start after I leave." With that the assistant left them alone. A piece of parchment appeared in front of her and a question appeared at the top:  
 _What is your name?_  
Hermione Jean Granger  
What is your favourite colour?

Hermione found this one difficult. She had never had a favourite colour. Her mind drifted back to her room at Hogwarts and she wrote:

_Turquoise/Black_

_What is your favourite hobby?  
Reading  
What is your date of birth?  
19_ _th_ _September 1979_  
How would you describe yourself in three words?  
Logical, Academic,

Unable to think of another way to describe herself, Hermione panicked. Was her personality solely her brains? Surely she wasn't that boring? She thought of the reason for the personality test. It was to find out what style would suit her. Her style was… _plain_. Hermione hated to admit it but it was very plain. And very boring.

_Logical, Academic, Plain_

She might as well be honest. The parchment and quill probably had magical properties as well. Able to detect whether or not she was being truthful.

_Do any of these apply to you? (Answer with yes, somewhat or no)_

_Are you easily discouraged?_  
No  
Do you like to do things according to a plan?  
Yes  
Do you take time out for other people?  
Yes  
Do you stand up for yourself?

Hermione thought back to the time she punched Malfoy and pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. She didn't do that all the time though…

_Somewhat_  
Do you seek adventure?  
Somewhat  
Do you help others?  
Yes

The test ended there and Hermione stood up to leave. Ginny was on the last question, she'd be out in a second.

Once she got outside the assistant held out her hand for the parchment and smiled as she read it. Appearing suddenly beside Hermione, Ginny handed hers to the assistant too. "Lovely, if you'd just wait on the seats you were in before the test, I'll be right there." They walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"Who knew so much went into a dress?" Ginny said, eyebrows raised.

"I didn't, all this time I've thought it was such a simple thing! Guess I underestimated the profession." Admitted Hermione. At that moment the assistant came back.

"We have a selection of dresses for you to choose from now that we've got your results!"

"Excuse me?" Ginny interrupted, "What's your name?"

"Tiffany. But that doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't it matter?" Inquired Hermione.

"I'm just an assistant ma'am." Tiffany said, meekly.

"Who said that means your name doesn't matter?"

"Well, in training assistants are taught that they are just that, so that we don't get too ahead of ourselves." She was staring at her shoes now. Ginny stood up and put her hands on Tiffany's shoulders.

"It matters Tiffany. You're a person. You don't even realise just how much you've taught me and my friend about what goes into dress making. We totally underestimated the profession. You work so hard and under a lot of pressure and you don't even get the respect you deserve. You should be _proud_ of yourself." A drop of water fell to the floor and Hermione realised Tiffany was crying. The two girls enveloped her in a hug and a few minutes later they pulled apart, Tiffany wiping her eyes.

"I think we should get back to your dresses miss." Said Tiffany.

"Not miss." Said Ginny firmly, "Ginny and Hermione." Pointing to herself and Hermione.

"Okay m-Ginny"

"That's better," said Ginny. Tiffany grinned and summoned two racks of dresses.

"These are the dresses." Hermione's rack was full of blues, greens and blacks. Ginny's was full of reds, pinks and blacks. Rummaging through Hermione pulled out three dresses. Ginny had done the same as well. They used _wingardium leviosa_ to hold up the dresses.

"I can't choose between them!" Exclaimed Ginny. "Any advice Tiffany?"


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!  
Finally, I've finished the shopping chapters!**

Chapter 16

"You could try them on first?"

"Good idea! Where are the changing rooms?" Tiffany showed them to two changing rooms.

"I'll just expand them so your dresses fit." Tiffany said when they opened the door. The girls went in their changing rooms. Hermione picked up the first dress and struggled into it.

"Tiffany!" she called. The assistant stepped into the room. "Could you do up the buttons at the back, please?"

"Of course!" Hermione looked at the dress in the full length mirror in front of her. It was beautiful. The bust was a light blue, it started to fade into a darker blue at the waist and below the waist it was a royal blue. Looking at the hem, Hermione frowned. There was a design of peacock feathers at the hem that didn't appeal to Hermione at all. It just didn't match the dress. "Do you like it?"

"It's _okay_ but I think I want to try another one."

"Okay, I'll come back to do your fastenings. I just need to check on Ginny."

"Okay, I'll get into the second one then." Hermione picked up the second dress, it was all black and A-line and there was a silver and gold chain that went around the waist. It was simple, just the way Hermione liked it. She pulled it on just as Tiffany returned and did up the zip. "Thanks Tiff. Is it okay if I call you Tiff?"

"Of course! All my friends call me Tiff!" Hermione touched the material. It was a bit rough and the dress was starting to itch her as well. Tiffany didn't look impressed with the dress either. "If you don't mind me saying Hermione, I think it's a bit too plain." Hermione was relieved that she had a second opinion and she hurriedly took off the dress.

"The material was a bit itchy too. Well that leaves one more dress. Third time's the charm right?"

"Right." Said Tiffany, chuckling. The last dress was like a ball gown. It was simple but there was a dramatic flair caused by the bust. It was covered with raven feathers and below it there was a silk belt. Underneath that was the skirt part of the dress that was a deep green laced with black throughout. At the back it was like a corset on the top half. "I like it." Said Tiffany as she finished lacing up the back.

"Don't you think it's a bit to dramatic? I mean, look at the bust."

"On your test you said you were plain, right?" Hermione nodded. "My honest opinion is this dress is dramatic enough to push you out of plain Jane territory but is simple enough that you're comfortable. And it suits you so well!" Cocking her head to the side Hermione thought… If she kept her hair up it would look pretty _and_ elegant. It was perfect.

"This is the one." Hermione whispered.

"Tiffany!" The call came from the other changing room and Tiffany rushed out with a quick apology.

After Hermione had paid for the dress, she waited for Ginny to finish. She heard a squeal from the changing room "This is it!" Hermione grinned at the excited tone of Ginny's voice. Moments later Ginny stepped out of the changing room to show Hermione her dress. Hermione gasped, it was stunning! It had a deep red skirt and the bodice was skin coloured. Hermione almost thought she wasn't wearing anything under the lace. The lace on the bodice was dark red and went up her neck and down her sleeves. Right now Ginny's hair was in a ponytail but Hermione could imagine it being down and the mental imagery took her breath away. "It's beautiful Gin!" Hermione exclaimed.

Once Ginny had paid, they hugged Tiffany goodbye and asked for her address so they could owl her.

* * *

**AN: I want you guys to be able to visualize what I'm describing but I can't post links so I put them on my Tumblr- there's a page specifically for Experience :)**

**My name on there is scrumptiousinternetllama too :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

"She was so helpful! And I found the perfect dress!"

"Gin, I swear that dress was _made_ for you." They were now sat in Hermione's room at Hogwarts.

"Hermione, do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Just at the bottom of the corridor."

"Okay, I'll go take a piss and by the time I come back you should be changed into your dress." Hermione chuckled, as Ginny left the room. As she slid into the dress Hermione looked at it in the mirror. The straps on her bra were spoiling the effect, so she took it off. _Oh, shit! Someone needs to do up the back!_

She stepped out onto the corridor holding the front of her dress tightly in place. Hearing footsteps behind her Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. _Ginny can do it._ "Could you lace up the back of my dress?" She asked, without turning round. Soft fingers ran down her back and found the two pieces of string that were used to tighten and fasten the dress in place. "You need to tighten it." She said as Ginny started to tie a knot. "I want you to be able to see the dress fitting properly. And besides, I'm not wearing a bra. Wouldn't want a nip slip, would we?" She said, laughing. The hands at her back faltered a moment and pulled on the string, the force of it causing Hermione to stumble backwards into Ginny. "Come in my room. It's cold out here." Keeping her hands on the string, Ginny followed her slowly into Hermione's room. Stopping in front of her bed, Hermione bent over to make it easier for her friend. "It should be easier to pull the string now." She pulled hard again and Hermione brushed against her friend. "Sorry." She squeaked, regaining her balance. Ginny leant over Hermione to tug at a piece of string further up, and Hermione found her upper body being completely pushed against the bed. Ginny's front was pressed against her back, "Is something wrong?" Hermione asked. Just then there was a gasp from the doorway.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" She twisted round from her position to see Ginny stood in the doorway, hand over her mouth in shock. _How did Ginny get there?_ "I'm sorry if I interrupted something private." She continued, backing away from the room. Hermione stood up straight and spun around, finding herself face to face with Professor Snape. She stumbled forward in shock and he caught her, spinning around so they could land on the bed instead of the floor. She pushed herself off the bed and ran out the room. Ginny was already halfway down the corridor.

"Gin! Wait! It isn't what it looks like!" Hermione shouted, turning crimson as she ran. Ginny stopped and turned. Her face was red and her lips thin. "Listen Gin-" But anything she was about to say was drowned out by Ginny's laughter. Hermione gasped, realising she had left Snape in her room. What if he was hurt? He had after all, taken all of Hermione's weight at once. Tugging Ginny with her, she ran back to her room. Professor Snape was stood up brushing off his robes. Ginny straightened up at once, but Hermione could tell she was still struggling not to laugh.

"Miss Weasley, regardless of what you might have thought, myself and Miss Granger were not…" He trailed off, his face turning unreadable. "I'm sure Miss Granger can explain," he said sweeping out of the room.

"Ginny! No means no! And what more is there to know? He was helping me into my dress, and that. Is. All." For the past half an hour Ginny had been pestering her for details of what had happened.

"I want the long version! And if nothing happened then why are you hiding the details?" Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Fine!" Hermione relented. "I was in here by myself-"

"And he walked past and you pulled him into a passionate- OW!" She yelped as Hermione hit her with a pillow.

"If you keep interrupting, I won't say another word." Said Hermione, obstinately. Ginny mimed zipping her lips and Hermione carried on."And I put on the dress. My straps," She dangled her bra from her fingers to demonstrate what she was talking about, "were ruining the effect, so I took off my bra. Once I had the dress back on I realised someone needed to tighten the straps. I stepped out on the corridor and heard footsteps behind me. Thinking it was _you_ I asked you to lace it up." She groaned not wanting to carry on. Ginny dutifully kept her mouth shut. Hermione took a deep breath. "I- I said to tighten it and that- ugh this is so embarrassing! I said I wasn't wearing a bra and," Using her fingers as quotation marks, she said, "'We wouldn't want a nip slip, would we?'" Ginny burst out laughing, a couple of droplets of spit landing on Hermione.

"Sorry," she was gasping for air, "I-" she couldn't carry on because she was doubled over laughing. "Nip slip! Oh Hermione- that's go- Gold!" Hermione shoved her face into her pillow. Why did she constantly make a fool of herself in front of _him?_


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

As soon as he'd gotten back to his room he'd gone straight to his en-suite bathroom. He needed to get a shower… and he needed to take care of something else. Glancing down at his pants, he saw the material was stretched to its limit. Pulling them off, he stepped into his shower and turned on the water. Leaning his head against the tiles, he closed his eyes and let the water wash over him. After standing still for a few minutes he looked down. It hadn't gone down yet. Sighing, he thought, I'm going to have to take care of this myself, aren't I? He took his erection into his hand and began to slowly move his hands up and down. Speeding up, he got himself to a steady rhythm before slowing down again, purposefully caressing the tip. He moaned as thoughts of Hermione entered his brain. Her naked body, the feel of her pressed against him. He pumped faster as his imagination offered him the visual of her taking him into her hand and doing the work for him. He gasped as he finished, letting the shower wash his mess down the plughole. Realising what he'd just done, he groaned. She was his ex-student! Years younger than him. Besides, wasn't she with Ronald Weasley? Despite knowing all of that, he couldn't deny that what he'd just done had felt good. Amazing even. What was wrong with him?! The memory of her bent over before him was making his lower region stir again. He banished all thoughts of her and got out of the shower. Drying himself off he realised it was the middle of the day. Double-checking that he didn't have anything to do that day, he apparated to Malfoy Manor.

Lucius and Narcissa had told him that he was welcome any time after the battle. Sparing Draco the task of killing Dumbledore had made the two of them 'indebted' to him, (their words not his). Today he planned to take full advantage of that offer. He needed a distraction from her. Visiting his old friends would be an excellent distraction. They'd have a lot to catch up on; the last time they spoke being a couple of months ago.

Arriving at the gates, he sensed the wards and spoke his name. They let him through and must have alerted the Malfoys that they had a guest. Using the grand silver knocker on the front door he got no answer, so he tried the door. It was open. Entering the house he saw two pairs of shoes strewn haphazardly near the door. That should have been his first warning sign. He moved forward knowing that the drawing room was further down. When he got there the door was slightly ajar. Pushing it open he reeled back at what he saw. A naked Narcissa bent over the table with an equally naked Lucius pounding into her. Just as he backed away from the doorway Lucius finished inside his wife with a roar. He didn't stay to hear the rest as he'd ran out of the front door pretending he'd never entered in the first place.

Waiting a few moments to give them time to clean up he knocked again. He waited patiently for a few moments and the door was opened by a composed Lucius. If he hadn't seen what he had, he would've thought that nothing had happened. But Severus knew, and he saw a few tell-tale signs. Lucius' hair, normally impeccable was slightly mussed. And his jacket was slightly rumpled as well. "Severus! What a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in!" The shoes were still in the same haphazard state and Severus walked as slowly as he could to the drawing room, hoping to give Narcissa enough time to get dressed. To his surprise, when he got in the drawing room, Narcissa was sat down with a half-full cup of tea. Severus wouldn't have suspected a thing, but the tea was still producing a lot of steam, meaning it hadn't been made for long.

"Hello Narcissa." Her head snapped up like she was surprised. She had excellent acting abilities.

"Do sit down Severus," she offered , standing up despite the fact there was clearly enough room for the three of them and extras.

"Of course." He smiled politely.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

Lucius, Narcissa and himself had been drinking, ( _a lot_ ) and chatting for the first hour about idle subjects like decorating, (if anyone brought up another conversation about decorating he would pull his own hair out. Hogwarts and here there was no escape from it) and just catching up on little things. Then there had been another knock on the door and one of Narcissa's friends had arrived. They'd said quick hellos before her and Narcissa went off to another room. Lucius stood up, motioning for Severus to follow him. He knew where Lucius was taking him, he'd been there many times before.

Stumbling into the basement Severus said, "You've gotten shome work done down here, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I'll spare you the details. You looked like you wanted to throttle me when I brought up the decoration we'd done upstairs."

"Been dealing with the bloody reunion preparations and Minerva's been calling me in to talk about decorations. Sho bloody boring." He groaned.

Lucius laughed, "You've been fine with boring in the past. Or have you had a bit of spice in your life since we last met that's made you allergic to boring." He wiggled his eyebrows. Severus' thoughts immediately turned to Hermione and he blushed guiltily. He was here to distract himself from her not think about her! Lucius gasped, "You're blushing! So there _is_ someone! Who?"

"No there isn't."

"Explain the blush then." Malfoy said, stubbornly.

"What about the blush? You were making comments on my sex life and it made me uncomfortable."

"Liar!"

"Why would I lie?" Lucius looked deep in thought for a moment. Then he looked up and Severus saw _that_ gleam in his eyes.

Before he could react Lucius shouted, "Legilimens!" Images of Hermione came to the forefront of his mind. Her naked in front of him, pressed against him and on top of him. Severus knew that Lucius couldn't possibly know the exact details. In legilimency, you couldn't tell the difference between dreams and reality. But he knew that Lucius would want to know. And he was terrible at lying. At least to his friends that was. Lucius pulled out of his mind, gaping at Snape.

"Tell me everything." He knew it was pointless to lie and to be honest, he couldn't be bothered keeping it all a secret anymore.

"The girl. Do you know who she is?" Asked Severus. Malfoy shook his head.

"I'm not the best legilimens, like _some_ people."

Closing his eyes, Severus said, "Hermione Granger."

Lucius looked perplexed, "what?"

"The girl in those memories was Hermione Granger."

"Wasn't she your-"

"Student. Yesh, I know." Running a hand through his hair Severus continued, "It started off when Minerva called me to her office last week. I'd been nagging her for an ashishtant but I didn't think I'd get one. Then out comes Hermione Granger from behind Minerva and she makes me have her as an assistant. If she wasn't my assistant then I couldn't have one at all apparently. Now onto the next part. I come down from dinner early because I couldn't be arsed listening to everyone's chitchat. I turn the corridor and guess whose there on the floor. _Granger!_ Not only that, she's naked! Sho I turn and run because I don't want to see her any longer than I need to." Lucius chuckled. "So I go to bed later that night and I have a dream. Bashically it's her turning me on. So I take a shot of dreamless sleep and think nothing of it. Seeing her naked and not being laid in ages probably made it happen." He shrugged dramatically. "Next day she starts as my ashishtant and the rest of the week goes fine, _until_ thish week when we sat next to each other at lunch."

"What happened?"

"I, _subconsciously,_ tucked her hair behind her ear. It was that bloody custard! Her hair was too close to it. So I get up and leave and decide to take a walk. No big deal, _until,_ I see _her_ sat in the gardens shivering." Severus hiccoughed.

"What did you do?"

Severus sarcastically answered. "Being the _gentleman_ that I am, I wrapped my cloak around her." Lucius raised an eyebrow. "She ended up falling ashleep right there sho I carried her to her room. The next day, today, I bump into her and she falls backwards. I catch her though. Then I notice that she's wearing a dresh."

Frowning at Severus, Lucius asked, "What's so special about that?"

"She doesn't normally wear dresses! And they look good on her. Then she leaves and I go about my business. Later on I goooo back to my room. Or at leasht I'm on my way there, when Hermione steps out of her room. She asks me to lace up the back of her dress. So I do it. As I'm about to finish the knot she goessss, 'tighter, I want you to be able to see me in this dresh properly.'"

"That was a sudden change." Interrupted Lucius.

"It will make sense in a minute. She doesn't stop there and she says, 'I'm not wearing a bra by the way. We wouldn't want a nip slip would we?'" Lucius' eyes were wide. "Obvioushly I got a little flustered by that. Who wouldn't? But I carry on what I was doing and I pull the strings to tighten the dress. I pulled too hard and she stumbles into me…" Lucius looked at his friend thoughtfully. It must have been the alcohol that made his tongue this loose. He intended to take full advantage of the situation.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Forgot to say I'm putting Luna in the same year as Harry, Ron and Hermione like I did with Ginny!  
I had requests when I first posted this to make my chapters longer-- So here is the longest chapter yet!**

Chapter 20

"After that she says, 'let's go to my room. It's getting cold out here.' I follow her and then next thing you know she bent over the bed! I tighten it again but again I did it too hard so she brushes onto me. Now imagine the position we're in." Severus hiccoughed and Lucius nodded. "Her brushing against me is going to- is going to make me _you knoooow_. But I ignore it. I lean over her because I've sheen a knot that was stopping me from tightening the dress. And this this point I'm preshed right up against her. She says, and now it'll all make sense, 'what's wrong?' There's a gasp from the doorway and I look back. So does Hermione. Ginny's stood there and now both the girls look shocked. 'I'm shorry if I interrupted something private'. She says backing away. With Hermione bent over and me right behind her, I can only imagine what it looked like. Hermione gets up, but she trips and she fallsh on top of me on the bed. She runs off after Ginny yelling, 'this isn't what it looks like!' Moments later they re-enter the room and by that time I've hidden my boner. I leave it to Hermione to explain and get in the shower. I sort out my own _downstairs_ business. I was thinking of her the entire time." He stumbled a little where he stood. "I needed a distraction from her so I came here. But _then,"_ he hiccoughed, "I see _you_ and _Narcissa_ shagging on the table!"

Lucius turned beetroot red. "Wh-what?"

"On the _table_ Loosheeusssshhhh?"

"Severus I think you should rest." How had he seen them?

* * *

Hermione insisted Ginny stay at Hogwarts for the night. "I'm always on my own here. Harry and Ron haven't had the chance to visit yet."

Ginny thought for a moment, "Well all I have back home are reminders that I was broken up with for fame."

Hermione put a hand on her shoulder, "Gin- It wasn't like that. Harry didn't want you to be put under the same scrutiny as he was. He did it to protect you."

"I'm a quidditch star. I've had my share of the spotlight you know!"

"He only meant well."

"Let's stop talking about this before I turn into the Hulk or a sobbing wreck," Ginny chuckled.

"Sorry Gin."

"It was me that brought it up with my grumbling. When's dinner?" Hermione couldn't help but smile at her friend. Typical Weasley.

"In a couple of hours." The redhead groaned. "Why don't we take a walk? It might distract you from your appetite."

"Hopefully it makes the time pass faster." Remarked Ginny, jumping up off the bed.

They decided to walk by the greenhouses, "You know, Neville works here?"

"Really! I haven't seen him in _ages!"_

"Well we'll see if he's in one of the greenhouses." As they walked past each greenhouse they peeped their heads around the doors to see if he was in any of them.

"It's a greenhouse! Made of glass! We should be able to see straight through, but those bloody plants keep getting in the way." Grumbled Ginny. "There he is!" Neville's head shot up at the statement. He visibly relaxed when he saw it was only Hermione.

"Oh hi Hermione!"

"Not just Hermione, me!" Ginny said swooping out from behind Hermione. The vivacious woman ran over to Neville and hugged him. Hermione winced for him. Ginny could really knock the air out of you when she hugged you like that. Hermione made her way over to a red faced Neville. It was then that she realised he had a bandage on his arm.

"What happened?!"

"Oh, just a Fanged Geranium. I was reaching over it to grab a shovel and it bit me. I have to go to Poppy in a couple of hours to get the bandages changed, so I might be late to dinner."

"The fates seem to be against you eating in the great hall recently." Hermione chuckled.

"Why is it always me?!" Laughed Neville.

They had spent the time until dinner talking about work, relationships and memories. Hermione longed for the days when everything was simpler and money was never a big problem for her. She'd always been told that 'when you get older, you get more responsibilities.' Hermione had never doubted that she could take on these 'responsibilities'. But now she realised that you were given those responsibilities whether you were ready for them or not. Her plan had always been school, work and perhaps a family. But the war had impacted her education so she had gone back for another year at school. Then the issues with finding a job came along. You never knew where life was going to take you. Even if you thought you had the entire road planned out, something would undoubtedly spin you off course. Well at least she was working. And she had her friends too. Life was pretty good right now. When dinner rolled around they walked with Neville up to the castle and parted ways at the entrance. "Finally, some food! I've missed Hogwarts dinners!" Ginny laughed as she bounded into the great hall. Suddenly Ginny stopped and turned to Hermione, "Where do I sit?"

"Next to me!"

"You sure? Will there be enough space up there?"

"Of course there will be. And if there isn't we can just expand the table and summon an extra chair. We're here just on time so there'll be seats." As they walked up to the table Ginny gasped.

"I didn't wash my hands!"

"The nearest bathroom is upstairs. I'll come with you."

"I know where the toilets are," Ginny snorted, "I went to school here, remember?" Hermione laughed as they jogged up the stairs.

"Gin-" she wheezed out when they reached the top. "Give me a minute."

Ginny laughed, "I don't want to be late for dinner!" Dragging Hermione by her wrist, she reached the bathroom and washed her hands. "Come on!" Ginny said, starting to jog again. Hermione had only just recovered from the first burst of exercise.

"Ginny, it might surprise you to learn that I'm not a sports star like _some_ people." Ginny laughed again, but slowed down nonetheless. "Thanks Gin." They re-entered the great hall to find only two chairs available.

Who isn't here?"

"Neville's here so it's not him… Snape!"

"What?"

"Snape isn't here."

"Wonder where he is?" Ginny murmured thoughtfully.

"He doesn't come to dinner sometimes. I guess it's one of them days." Hermione shrugged.

"Been keeping tabs have we?" Ginny teased.

Hermione gasped, "NO!"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much, or whatever the saying is." Ginny said, laughing. They sat in their seats and the meal begun. "It's so weird eating up here," Ginny remarked, gesturing at the table.

"Tell me about it," Hermione said. "I've been here for two weeks and I'm still not used to it."

* * *

Severus awoke clutching his head. The world before him was bleary, he rubbed his eyes and yelped when he saw Lucius stood at the foot of his bed. "Ungh," was all he could manage, kneading his forehead. Lucius laughed, the sound of it slicing through his brain. "What time is it?" He rasped out. His mouth felt dryer than the Sahara.

The blonde at the foot of his bed passed him a glass of water and answered with, "7:30pm."

"What happened?"

"Midday drinking," Lucius chuckled.

* * *

The teachers had been delighted to meet Ginny again, especially Madame Hooch. She'd teared up, "I always knew you had potential."

"It was your influence that helped me into my first team." Ginny added.

"You said that in your interview on the radio." They'd hugged goodbye and Ginny asked to stay in touch. "Of course!" Madame Hooch had answered.

Ginny and Hermione had made their way back to Hermione's room after dinner. "I don't have my pyjamas!" Ginny gasped. Hermione dug through a drawer and found what she was looking for; a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a baggy t-shirt.

"Wear these." Hermione said.

"Thanks 'Mione." Hermione switched off the light and they got into bed. "I forgot to tell you how pretty you looked in the dress because of all the Snape business," Ginny snorted, "and your room is stunning as well."

"Thanks Gin." Hermione yawned, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I'm trying to make all my chapters longer from now on. Enjoy!**

Chapter 21

Hermione opened her eyes and stretched, her muscles aching from the rough night. As lovely a friend as Ginny was, she kicked in her sleep. Hermione rolled over and clapped a hand over her mouth. Ginny was a couple of millimetres away from her face. Scooching back a little, Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep once again.

_Hermione leaned over the bed, "Go on," she encouraged. Instead of tightening her dress, the person behind her forced her to stand up. Turning around, she saw Snape. He bent her back over the bed and his hands grasped her hips. Sliding down her legs, they reached her ankles and went underneath her dress. His hands trailed up her bare skin and she shivered, eagerly anticipating what was to come. As they went further up her dress was lifted up as well. "Shut the door," she said. She felt his lips tickle her ear as he whispered, "no." Now her entire behind was uncovered, and on show to anyone who happened to walk past. It worried her. But it excited her more. He pushed her legs apart and…_

"HERMIONE!" Starting awake, she found herself being shaken.

"Gin," she gasped. "Gin, STOP! I'm awake now!" Letting go of her shoulders Ginny collapsed back on her back.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes, despite the fact you just shook me like a rag doll!"

"What did you expect me to do? You were breathing all heavily and didn't wake up the first times I called you!" Hermione's thoughts drifted back to her dream and her cheeks burned red.

"Sorry Gin. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Well you did! I accept your apology though." Hermione laughed and Ginny continued. "You're laughing now but I'm telling you. Morning breath in my face isn't a joke." She couldn't keep a straight face for long though and soon joined Hermione, laughing.

* * *

Severus awoke, feeling a lot better than when he was last conscious. He got out of the black four poster bed, nearly identical to his own but probably cost ten times more, and lumbered to the adjoining bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he went downstairs to find Lucius and Narcissa already awake. Thankfully they were decent this time. "Good morning," he drawled as a cup of tea was handed to him by Narcissa.

"Morning," Lucius smiled at him. Severus walked towards the table but changed his mind, remembering what had happened the day before. As he turned away he saw Lucius' cheeks go red. Did he know that he knew? He couldn't. But doubt still plagued him as he sat down. He still couldn't remember everything that had happened when he was drunk. Had it slipped out of his mouth?

After breakfast, Severus said his goodbyes and apparated back to Hogwarts, he had a lot of work to do today, he'd spent enough time dilly-dallying. His first stop was Minerva's office. He could only hope she didn't bring up decorations.

* * *

Hermione was bored. Ginny had left after breakfast to get ready for training, and Hermione didn't have anything to do. She had everything ready for the reunion; her dress, shoes and accessories. It was her day off as well. Actually her _days_ off. Minerva had insisted she couldn't see the last stages of the decorating, so it was a surprise. Thinking of Harry and Ron she got an idea, the burrow! They'd spent many summers there as kids and she was sure Mrs Weasley wouldn't mind her turning up.

Arriving at the door, Hermione went straight inside. "Mrs Weasley?" She called out. No answer. "Mrs Weasley?" She called out again, louder this time.

"Who's there?" Came Mrs Weasley's voice from up the stairs.

"It's Hermione." Answered Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione dear! Make yourself at home and I'll be down in a moment." Hermione sat down and helped herself to a scone that was on the table. Cutting it in half, she spread jam on one side and clotted cream on the other. Hermione smiled as she took a bite. Mrs Weasley was an amazing cook. No wonder the Weasley's had such appetites. Such a generous mother combined with this amazing food was bound to make them the food loving people they were. As Mrs Weasley entered the room, Hermione could tell something was wrong. The usually warm woman that was full of life came shuffling into the room and her eyes were red rimmed like she had been crying. Hermione took out her wand and set the kettle to boil and started to assemble a cup of tea.

"How many sugars do you take?"

"Two," the Weasley matriarch answered, absentmindedly. Hermione bit her lip, worriedly. Mrs Weasley would usually take over making the tea and tell her to sit down. "Milk?" She shook her head, staring at something Hermione couldn't see. It was only when Hermione set the cup of tea in front of her that she seemed to wake up out of the trance like state she was in.

"Hermione dear, there was no need!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed.

"It wasn't any trouble," Hermione said, trying to smile. "If you don't mind me asking, is there something wrong?" Mrs Weasley started and Hermione felt bad for asking.

"It's nothing dear."

"Are you sure? You can tell me, you know." Hermione tried to encourage.

"It's nothing," repeated Mrs Weasley a little firmer this time.

"How's Mr Weasley?" Hermione opted for a safer topic.

"Oh he's fine. A bit strained mind you because of the promotion…" Mr Weasley had been promoted to deputy minister for magic after the previous one died, (of old age). Kingsley, who had become the new minister, wouldn't have had anyone else. The Weasley's were a lot better off now, but had remained in the burrow because of their emotional attachments. Though it _had_ gotten a lot of repairs done and a few extra rooms put in. The rest of the visit went smoothly but Hermione was still discomfited that she didn't know what had upset the Weasley matriarch.


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Another OC in this chapter, but it's likely that she won't be in the story again. Unless there's some other event the girls need to get dressed up for. Maybe I'll think of another idea for her…**

Chapter 22

Today was the day. The reunion was today. Hermione jumped out of bed, already wide awake from excitement. The reunion was starting at five so she had plenty of time, to get everything ready _and_ have time left to relax. Or should she relax first? _I'll think about everything_ after _breakfast._ She finalised. As she went to the great hall, she half expected to be stopped by Minerva but she wasn't. The mystery was solved when she walked in. Clever concealment charms had been placed around the great hall to hide the advancements it had made since she had last seen it. Grateful that she could at least sit in the great hall, Hermione loaded her plate with biscuits, crumpets, toast and two pancakes. Once the tea appeared, it would be the perfect breakfast. Just as she wished, the tea appeared before her piping hot. The house elves already knew how she liked her tea, (she had visited them often enough), so there was no need for her to add anything to it. Two sugars and milk. Hermione's parents had always chuckled at her habit of dunking biscuits, but they had restricted how many she could have, (considering they were dentists, it wasn't surprising). But now she didn't live with them anymore, though she paid them frequent visits, so she could have as many as she wanted. _I sound like such a child,_ Hermione thought with a smile. Here, she had always felt that it was improper. Hogwarts was her second home but she didn't forget that it was a castle. Today though, Hermione wasn't particularly bothered. It was the day of the reunion and she was getting to meet the people that she had spent most of her childhood with. They, as well as the castle, knew her imperfections well. What was the use in hiding them?

* * *

Severus awoke with a smile. Today was the day of the reunion. There would be no more meetings about decorations or catering after today. Getting out of bed he entered the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and decided to shave. He was meant to shave yesterday but he was at Malfoy Manor and Lucius had decided he wanted to start growing a beard. _To look more sophisticated._ Severus snorted. But out the door all the razors in the manor went. _If you weren't so inept at the shaving charm this wouldn't be such a problem._ What was the worst that could happen if he tried it? _You could slash your face._ He knew the counter spell for sectumsempra; _I doubt a shaving cut would be worse._ Lifting up his wand he murmured, "Tondesco." As he ran his wand over the stubble. He did quite well, there were only a few small cuts but they were mendable. He changed into a comfortable set of robes, for tonight he would undoubtedly be constricted in some itchy, stiff collared pair. _Just focus on the positives. Positives._ It was time for breakfast.

* * *

2pm: Hermione finished her lunch and raced down to her room. Gathering her dress, shoes and accessories she left once again to go to the gates of Hogwarts. Outside of the castle she could finally apparate to Ginny's flat. Once there, Ginny introduced her to the hair and makeup stylist and they all made their way to the burrow. Molly was at the door, her usual warm self, to welcome them, which relieved Hermione. Giving each other a quick hug as a greeting, Molly brought out cakes and drinks. Having just finished lunch Hermione didn't feel that hungry, but one whiff of the decadent chocolate cake next to her proved otherwise. Hair was first.

The stylist, (who was a Weasley family friend called Michelle), instructed them both to get rid of their knots whilst she set out her supplies. Hermione was well-versed with this spell as she had spent some of her mornings as a child near tears at the struggle taking knots out of her… _nest_ , presented. "Reneo, reneo, reneo." Hermione passed her wand over her hair as she muttered the incantation, speaking louder so Ginny could follow easier. They completed just in time for Michelle to have set her things out and the fun began.

* * *

3pm: Severus had overseen the house-elves at work, making sure they left the great hall spotless. Between having lunch _and_ breakfast in there it had gotten pretty messy. He- _They_ had put in too much effort for a small detail like this to ruin it all. Once it was done he went up to Minerva's office where he was dismissed five minutes after arriving, because Minerva wanted to get ready. Why was everyone making such a fuss over looking good? Since he had nothing to do, he decided to pay the Malfoys a visit. He brought his dress robes with him. There was no point returning to the castle until the reunion started anyway.

"Severus." Lucius had greeted him with a raise of his eyebrow. "What brings you here?"

"Everyone in the bloody castle's gone crazy over looking fashionable."

"So you came to me for advice."

"What advice?"

"On looking good, of course." Lucius stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Severus snorted derisively, "No. I just needed a place to bide my time until the reunion started."

"When does it start? I forgot to ask Draco."

"Five."

"Two hours. That's a lot of time." Severus recognised the look in his friends eye.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Making you look presentable." Severus backed away from the blonde as he stalked towards him. "Incarcerous." Severus' eyes widened in disbelief as he was bound to a chair.

Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he said; "To think I thought I could trust you."

"It's for your own good." Malfoy said, observing his hair. As he picked up a strand to twist it, Severus began to shake his head back and forth so he couldn't style it. "Immobulus. You'll love me for this Severus. Trust me."

* * *

**I got the spell "Tondesco" from The Complete Encyclopedia of Wizarding Charms, Hexes, Jinxes, and Spells. It's pronounced tawn-DES-koh and it's supposed to "Shave hair."**

**I couldn't find a spell for brushing hair, so I looked up the meaning of untangle in Latin. Up popped** **reneo and I decided to use it. It was only one word and simple to pronounce, re-nay-oh. I think you'd want a charm like this to be less fuss than actually brushing your hair.**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**A _huge_ thank you to the commenters and those of you who have left kudos! This is my longest chapter yet at 2,000+ words. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Time for the reunion!**

Chapter 23

4pm: After Michelle had finished with her hair, she moved on to Ginny's, placing a charm to make foundation apply itself to her face. Once she'd finished with Ginny's hair she did the same to her, moving back to Hermione to apply some concealer and blusher. It continued in that back and forth pattern for the rest of the process. It had ended quickly for which Hermione was grateful. "Can we see?" Ginny asked, eagerly.

"No. I want you both to see the look when it's completely finished. I don't want to spoil it." Ginny's face fell and Michelle looked like she was struggling to keep her resolve. "Trust me, it will be better like that."

"I trust you."-

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"That must be Tiff." Hermione told Michelle.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her." Michelle looked really excited, which was understandable. From what Hermione had learned of her in the past two hours, it wasn't often that she got to meet people with her interests. Her family and friends were in completely different professions as her and because she worked as an independent stylist she didn't go to a workplace. That restricted her from meeting people who worked in the same jobs as her, but she found it paid better and that's what she needed at the moment.

"Ginny! Hermione!" Tiffany exclaimed as she gave each of the girls a careful hug. "You two look stunning! I don't want to damage your hair or make any makeup get on the dresses."

"If you do I'll just patch it back up. It's fine." Tiffany turned to see Michelle and put out her hand.

"My name's Tiffany."

"My name's Michelle. I heard you're into fashion?"

"I _love_ it."

"Well Tiff, Michelle here did our hair and makeup." Ginny interjected.

Tiffany looked us over once more and said, "You're really good!" Michelle's cheeks turned pink.

"I've seen the dresses. And I've heard the process that goes into choosing them. You're pretty good yourself. But I think we have more important matters right now." Michelle nodded toward her and Ginny. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Severus couldn't even glare at Lucius whilst he was stood behind him. He could feel the middle of his hair being combed back and gelled down. After that, Lucius came directly in front of him. Wrapping one side of Severus' hair round his wand he waited. Letting the hair fall back to his ear Severus attempted to flinch. Or at least he attempted to. His hair was hot. The same thing happened to the other side before he was released from the chair. "I ought to hex you into next week." Severus growled.

"You're not going to though." Lucius said cockily, bringing a mirror to him.

"What makes you so sur-" He stopped abruptly as he took in his reflection. The top part of his hair was slicked back with the sides flicked back. Turning to Lucius he said, "What time is it?"

"What? No thank you?"

"No I didn't ask you to do this." Severus narrowed his eyes at the pouting blonde.

"It's four thirty." Severus needed to get changed, quickly.

"Where are my robes?"

"You were going to wear _those_ scratty old things?" Lucius looked like he was going to throw up.

"So?"

"Oh my goodness!" Lucius said, throwing his hands up. "I spent so much time to make your hair look good and you want to ruin it by wearing those?!"

"It wouldn't be ruinin-"

"No!" The blonde looked slightly insane. "I won't let you!" Pointing his wand to a heap of fabric on the table he yelled, "Incendio!" Severus' eyes widened as he realised they were his robes.

"Are you mental?!"

As the flames covered most of the fabric Lucius extinguished them with a quick, "Aguamenti."

"What am I going to wear now?!" Said a clearly exasperated Severus.

"One of my robes." Said Lucius, suddenly calmer now that the 'offensive' garments had been destroyed.

Severus walked into the great hall just on time and was immediately bombarded with questions by Minerva. "Where were you? What were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me where you were? Explain why you're late."

"I was at a friend's house. I was _thinking_ I wanted to get away from the _catwalk_ this place had suddenly become. And I got held up by… some stuff."

"The _catwalk_ this place had become?"

"You kicked me out of your office because you wanted to get ready! I'm on time anyway, I don't see any students here."

"Forgive me for wanting to look nice." Minerva said, sarcastically. Gesturing up and down at him she continued. "And you seem to have taken part in the catwalk yourself!" _Against my will._ Thankfully the sound of carriages snapped Minerva back to business mode. "We need to greet the guests. Quick!" She pushed Severus towards the doors and stood beside him. Filius and Pomona were a bit further back, "Acting natural". Once the students started entering they'd engage them in conversation whilst Minerva finished welcoming the rest of them. Severus was allowed to skulk in a corner after that, and for him the time couldn't come soon enough. The first to enter were Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who had managed to stay friends over the years. Next were Parvati Patil, who was pregnant and her sister Padma. After that, Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger came all at once squealing and laughing about some nonsense. Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Hannah Abbot came in at the same time. After that Severus was excused from door duty because, "All you're doing is scowling." Thankful for this small blessing, Severus went to the back of the room and began talking to Professor Vector, who was getting a drink. As one person left, Severus was usually left alone for five minutes but then another person would engage him in conversation. It was beginning to get annoying and five minutes seemed an insufficient time for him to be able to recuperate after so much socialising.

Later in the night, Severus had consumed _a lot_ of the punch. It must have contained an invigoration draught, for he was feeling a lot more energetic. It must have been to keep everyone lively but not have so much alcohol that they couldn't make their way home. _Good idea_ , thought Snape, as he remembered his hangover from the other day. Watching the dancefloor, Severus found his gaze being drawn to the same person over and over again. Hermione Granger. Her hair was in a delicate bun with soft tendrils of her hair falling out. Was that purposeful or a result of her dancing? Her dress was stunning. It was green, (Slytherin) and black, (his favourite colour). She had remarkable taste and it suited her well. _Suited her well? Bit of a bloody understatement isn't it? She looks stunning._ Severus leant against the wall and allowed himself five more seconds. _You like her. Stop lying to yourself._ Was it the atmosphere of the party or was it the wake up he'd gotten from the potion? Either way, Severus Snape finally admitted to himself that he liked Hermione Granger. Actually, more than liked her.

* * *

As Hermione walked in she was greeted by a warm Minerva and a sour faced Snape. Giving quick greetings she rushed into the great hall to see how it had been changed. She heard gasps behind her that she assumed were from her friends as she spun in a circle to see the full scale of its beauty. It was beautiful, the roof was enchanted to look like it was holding candles, just like when they first came to Hogwarts and the walls were charmed to have images of the guests carved into them. The images were from today. How had they known what to carve? It must have been a complicated spell. The soft lull of a harp could barely be heard above the chatter which seemed to bind all the voices together to match its tune. On the floor the crests of the four houses were carved and painted with a vibrancy she had never seen. However they were all trumped by the Hogwarts crest which was in the middle of the floor, with the famous words, "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus." Underneath. It was all sophisticatedly done with nothing being overbearing or tacky. This was Hogwarts.

Hermione had just finished talking to Dean, and dragged Ginny away from Seamus. She had been brazenly flirting for a good five minutes and Hermione had an idea why. Pulling Ginny to the very edge of the room she whispered, "Is this just to make Harry jealous?"

Ginny looked offended for a moment but couldn't keep up the pretence long, "Am I that obvious?" Hermione felt sorry for her. Here she was looking stunning – and probably able to get any guy in the room- and she was longing for the attention of just one of them. She didn't know why Ginny didn't just move on from Harry. But who was she to give dating advice? She was single herself.

"Ginny, I think you should just go with the flow tonight." Hermione inwardly cringed at how cliché that sounded. "Let's dance?" She requested as Do the Hippogriff came on.

"Let's go!" Ginny ran to the dancefloor, "I love the Weird Sisters!" Hermione danced with her for two songs but left as This Is the Night came on. She couldn't dance and was getting tired. She needed some punch.

* * *

Severus watched as the beauty he'd been watching all night approached him. He straightened up immediately and inwardly berated himself for not acting natural. _She'll notice something's up if you keep acting like that._ He watched as she poured out some punch and instantly livened up. She looked up towards where he was standing and flashed a smile at him. It took his breath away. His cheeks reddened as he realised that he was staring. Quickly looking down, Severus scowled when his hair didn't fall in his face. (Lucius had 'hair sprayed' it). Once he thought she had left he looked up and couldn't contain his gasp when Hermione was right in front of him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and attempted to pull him towards a group of students. After trying for a few moments Hermione finally gave up with a frustrated huff. "Why aren't you coming with me?" Her voice was like vanilla, soft and smooth.

"I don't feel the need to socialise with a bunch of children." He shrugged indifferently as Hermione scowled at him. As she was about to walk away Severus schooled his expression into an unreadable mask, and asked "What if you danced with me?" He couldn't let her know how much he wanted her to say yes. She looked confused for a moment, and then alarmed. _Bloody brilliant Severus, now you've gone and weirded her out!_

"I'd love to but I can't dance- wait. You can _dance_?" She looked incredulous. To what seemed like herself, she muttered, "Brilliant. Even _Snape_ can dance." Suddenly hit with an idea, Severus leaned forward and whispered,

"I could teach you." She shivered and looked up at him.

Her eyes were sceptical as she said, "Have a go. But in the hallway or where there isn't many people, I'm not going to make a fool of myself." Severus didn't waste a moment in grabbing her hand and leading her from the great hall. The corridor still had a few stragglers so they went outside.

* * *

The sun was just setting as Severus led her outside Hogwarts. Once they were outside it was completely silent. The only sounds were that of the light breeze rustling in the trees and the occasional tweet of a sparrow. He put an arm around her waist pulling her close. She could feel his heartbeat against hers and fought to control her own lest it give her away. He took a step forward and Hermione hastily moved her foot back. She didn't want to be trodden on. He murmured "Don't rush it so much. Move in time with… me. Move in time with me" The last sentence was rushed and seemed to snap her instructor out of a haze. He turned back into his usual self. Not showing an ounce of recognition when she did something right, and sneering at her when she messed up. As she finally managed to waltz for a consecutive two minutes without messing up, she realised with a start what she was moving in time with. It wasn't Severus. It was their combined heartbeats. She was suddenly flung away by Severus as she heard rushed footsteps behind her.

"'Mione," It was Harry, his cheeks were red and he was out of breath, "I was looking for you everywhere! Professor Mconagall said she wanted to see us in her office about something urgent." She was led by Harry back into the castle as she caught the last glimpse of the sunset. And Severus. _This had better be something important._

* * *

**I wanted to give Severus a hairstyle like Loki's. (I never knew finding hairstyles for him would be so difficult)! So I settled with this one. But I think it would suit him considering his face is quite thin.**

**It** **_is_ ** **something important. Hopefully you guys don't realise what it is until my next chapter is up. Wouldn't want a predictable storyline would we?**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I want to thank Emily Robbins, who beta'd this chapter!**

**This chapter we are going to introduce another character. And they aren't an OC. They aren't going to be in the chapter themselves** **_but_ ** **they will definitely be mentioned. I'm also making this chapter shorter than the last few, but they will get longer again soon. :)**

Chapter 24

They met Ron at the bottom of the steps and went up together. Thankfully, the staircases didn't change and they managed to make their way to the head's office without a problem. "What's the password?" Ron asked, looking to Hermione for the answer.

She stepped forward and said clearly, "Constant vigilance."

Harry snorted as they reached the door to Minerva's office. "Constant vigilance…"

"Seems like another lifetime, doesn't it?" Ron said as Hermione knocked on the door.

"It does." Minerva opened the door and ushered them into her office, snapping them out of their memories. The headmistress took her seat behind the desk and they sat on the other side. "Why did you call us here professor?" Asked Harry, impatiently. Hermione could tell he wanted to get back to the party. She also noticed the slight nudge Ron gave his best friend, successfully shutting him up. Minerva's face was grave as she slid a letter across the desk.

To Minerva McGonagall,

I am writing to inform you about the release of an Azkaban prisoner.

_Why would they want McGonagall's opinion on that?_

The prisoner is coming to the end of the sentence and the Wizengamot wanted to integrate her back into society, but in a controlled environment. The decision was approved by a majority vote last week. A few members of the order were informed: you, Arthur Weasley, Arabella Figg, Luna Lovegood, and Lee Jordan. You may be wondering why I am retelling you this. The Wizengamot decided that the safest place for the prisoner to be would be Hogwarts. As I was recently informed that Hermione Granger has begun working at the school, I feared for her safety. She, along with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, was the one who got the prisoner jailed. The boys are at a risk, but the prisoner will be in Hogwarts most of the time, so the threat to the two of them won't be imminent. Despite being Minister of Magic, I cannot be head of the Wizengamot or make decisions for them. I can only state my view. I assure you if I had the choice I would keep this prisoner in jail, but I don't. I think now is the time to inform the three of them of this development for their own safety.

Sincerely,  
Kingsley Shacklebolt  
Minister of Magic.

Ron was the first to speak, "Who's the prisoner?"

Minerva looked at them seriously and said, "Dolores Umbridge."

"What?! They can't release her! She's a monster!" Hermione burst out. Harry was simply sat opening and shutting his mouth in shock, incapable of forming a reply.

"I do not want her in the school, for frankly I agree with you. But I cannot overrule what the Wizengamot has ordered."

"But professor-"

"I want you all to listen to me. This is a serious matter." All of them gained their composure, or at least tried to. "Dolores Umbridge is a dangerous woman. Hermione, whilst she is here I want you to keep your distance-"

"But-"

"Didn't I just say, no interruptions? That's a rhetorical question Mr Weasley. I want you to keep your distance from the school as well. No visits. If you are going to meet up with Miss Granger, do it outside of Hogwarts."

"Is there _nothing_ we can do?" Harry had finally broken his silence.

"Unfortunately not, Mr. Potter. It's about time we got back to the reunion." With that, Professor McGonagall stood up and led them out. "I'd advise you to not say anything about this to anyone. They'll find out tomorrow." They all looked at her quizzically. "The Daily Prophet will have a story by morning. Kingsley's making the announcement tonight."

"Why should Kingsley have to announce it? It was the Wizengamot's decision and Kingsley doesn't even approve of it!" Hermione said, indignantly.

"I know! He's going to get a ton of backlash for this and it isn't even his decision!" Harry sputtered.

"There isn't anything we can do about that now," Minerva sighed. "I'm afraid it's too late."

* * *

**AN: (Queue EastEnders outro) Dun Dun Dun…. The evil Umbridge has returned! She is going to be a prominent character which is why she's in the characters list for the story. I finally brought her in!**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**So Umbridge is back! I'm going to bring her in when the school holidays in this fic finish. I'm making the holidays only two weeks so the rest of this week is all that is left of them, (in the fic). I want to move on the story quite quickly so it kicks in, rather than have a bunch of pointless filler. It does start to get quite boring.**

**Returning to two points of view this time!**

Chapter 25

Everything had been going so well and then _Potter_ had shown up. They'd been dancing and – together! He knew Minerva wouldn't say something was urgent without it actually being urgent. But it didn't stop Severus' doubts; _it was probably just some sentimental tripe._ What was he supposed to do now? Going back to the hall, if Hermione wasn't there seemed pointless. But in the end he decided to go back and pretend to be social. When Hermione returned she would undoubtedly come straight to the great hall. "Professor Snape." He was snapped out of his reverie by a surprised Luna Lovegood. "I didn't know you enjoyed dancing!" Looking around, he realised he was in the centre of the dancefloor. He growled as a boy with brown hair bumped into him.

"I don't." He replied, curtly.

"I saw you dancing with Hermione. And now you're in the middle of the dancefloor." The girl's expression turned into a vacant one. This was his chance to leave. Pushing his way through the closely pressed bodies, he made it out of the great hall. He looked up to the staircase and his eyes went wide. Hermione was there. Stood on the very top step, Hermione looked like a queen descending to meet her followers. Her dress moulded to fit her perfectly. The way the feathers curved over the bust and the way the belt fit her waist was perfect. There was no other word. Quickly composing himself, he stood up straight and was about to approach Hermione to ask if she wanted to continue what they were doing, when Weasley and Potter appeared behind her. They all looked worried. What had Minerva told them? Whatever it was, Severus sensed it wasn't the right time for him to approach her.

* * *

They descended the stairs together in silence. It was when they reached the bottom that Hermione finally spoke. "After the reunion, I want you both to come to my room. It's in the dungeons, just ask a house elf and they'll bring you down." Harry looked like he wanted to say something.

"What is it?" He looked momentarily startled but then relaxed. "I forget how well you guys know me sometimes. It's just… You know what? I'm going to say it. It's Ginny." Hermione wasn't surprised that she was hearing this. In fact she was more surprised that it had taken this long for him to say it.

"What about her?" Ron asked. She noticed his voice was tense; the topic of Harry and his sister together was a sensitive one for him after Harry had broken up with her. Harry had noticed his tone too.

"Look Ron, I've always liked your sister-"

"You've got a funny way of showing it." Ron grumbled.

"The only reason I broke up with her was to keep her from being constantly scrutinised, and you know it! Seeing her tonight with Seamus just made it harder for me to keep my resolve to not see her." Ron softened, (as did Hermione).

"Mate, I know you like her. I just- I just don't want her to get hurt again. After the last time, she spent so long trying to figure out what _she_ did wrong. She beat herself up about it every day. She _seems_ fine now, but I can just tell that she still isn't over it. I just don't want to see her go through that again." Hermione was excellent at keeping secrets, and even though Ginny hadn't explicitly told her that her feelings were a secret, Hermione could still tell that they were. But tonight, seeing Harry and Ginny long for each other, but unable to say it, for fear of rejection on _both_ sides, was heart-breaking for her to watch. She had to say _something_.

"Harry." Harry's attention snapped to her. "You do realise that Ginny's a quidditch star?"

"Yeees?"

"You're an absolute idiot then! She's under constant scrutiny already, dating _you_ wouldn't make a difference!" Harry paled as he realised what she was saying.

"I broke up with her for no reason…" He whispered to himself. He looked genuinely devastated and Hermione felt awful.

"Ginny still loves you." She whispered, half hoping Harry hadn't heard. She knew he had when he ran off into the great hall. About ten seconds later Hermione heard loud protests as Ginny appeared, being pulled by Harry. Hermione spoke without hesitation, "The gardens are empty." The four of them left the building and Harry spoke.

His voice was trembling as he said, "Ginny, I'm so _so_ sorry for everything I have put you through this year. I still love you Ginny. And I was stupid, _really stupid_ to think that you couldn't handle the pressure and the scrutiny of being with me. You're so strong and- and I was stupid. W-will you take me back?" His eyes were pleading. Ginny looked at Hermione. Hermione gave Ginny an almost imperceptible nod and Ginny turned back to Harry.

"Yes." Harry let out a loud whoop of delight, picked up Ginny and spun her around. The sun was lower than it was when she was with Severus and its beams lit up the landscape in a fiery red. The rays also caught Ginny's hair, lighting it up. It made her look majestic, like she was the queen of the landscape.

When they had re-entered the great hall, Ron had announced the news and the whole room erupted into cheer. Harry blushed as a slow song, Hermione couldn't place it, came on and everyone started to chant, "Dance. Dance. Dance." He looked at Ginny and that one glance seemed to make him braver. He led Ginny to the dancefloor and held her in his arms as they swayed. Slowly, other couples joined them and the dancefloor was full. Hermione partnered with Ron and they were both amazed at how well she did, it was a welcome distraction from Umbridge. But despite having fun, she longed for Severus to be the one holding her.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 26

Ginny wanted to stay with Harry after the party but he assured her he'd see her tomorrow. They made their way down to Hermione's room nervously. The dungeons were not pleasant, and they were even worse when they knew what conversation was coming up. Arriving in her room, Ron let out a whistle. "Wow 'Mione, I would've gotten a job at Hogwarts if I got a room like this."

"I really like it," Hermione said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for the gothic look." Harry said, teasingly.

"It's just the room, and even Ron said it's nice! What are we here for anyway?" They all sobered up immediately at the suggestion of Umbridge.

Harry spoke, "I think we should talk, and see if we can form a plan." Ron quickly agreed, as did Hermione and the discussion began. "First up let's recap."

They went over the events of their fifth year, and moved on to the court case. The hearing had been short and Umbridge had been convicted of crimes against the students of Hogwarts. Harry showed his scars to the wizengamot and they'd scribbled down notes. After the hearing was adjourned, they recommended harry to go to the infirmary to get his scar treated. He'd been out after five minutes, with a bottle of healing paste and a smile. The hearing had dominated the front page for weeks. They'd gone over everything, but they were no closer to understanding why Umbridge had been released. The evidence against her was strong. Had something changed the wizengamot's mind?

Two hours later and they were getting frustrated. "Why don't we just think of a plan to keep us safe?" Harry said, throwing his hands up.

"Better than nothing," Hermione said, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

"Well staying away from her and Hogwarts would be easy for me and Ron. For you it's just staying away from her. We need to know what the ministry is planning on making her do for a punishment. That's the only way we can have a definitive plan to keep you safe."

"Of course!" Hermione said, sarcastically, (a trait she was beginning to pick up from Snape), "The ministry is going to reveal the times and dates for Umbridge's day."

"We know that they're not, but there are other ways to find out." Ron said, turning to Harry. He must have known that she wouldn't have approved of what he was implying. A smile broke out on Harry's face and Hermione knew she had to say something to stop them. Their _careers_ were at risk, for goodness sake!

"Harry, no!" She yelled, but it was obvious she wasn't getting through to him. She tried again, "Harry, your jobs are at risk!"

"'Mione don't be so pessimistic!" Harry said. Hermione was relieved that he responded but what he was saying worried her.

"We're not kids anymore!"

Ron turned to her with a gentle smile, "'Mione, how many times have you tried to stop us from doing something stupid?"

"A lot!"

"How many times have you succeeded?" At that, Hermione had to admit defeat. She had never been able to stop them. The least she could do now, as she always did, was damage control.

"Well then let me help you plan." They stayed up all night.

They must have nodded off at one point because when she woke up, three plates of breakfast were waiting on her bedside table. She watched, amused as Ron breathed in the scent of coffee and his eyes fluttered open. _Typical Ron, food_ would _wake him up_ , she thought with a smile. They all ate and got ready quickly.

The plan was for the boys to get to the ministry early. They had to see if the files on Umbridge were being moved, (with her release coming up, it was likely). Meanwhile, Hermione was going shopping to get 'gifts' for the boys and then meet them just before lunch, to give the presents to them. That would give the boys an excuse to stay in the office during lunch hours. They'd then get Umbridge's files. The aim was to find out what Umbridge would be doing at Hogwarts, what she'd have access to and when and where she'd be around the castle.

They split at Diagon Alley. Harry and Ron going to work and Hermione going to shop. She had a few hours to kill before she got to the ministry and decided to get the shopping out of the way first. Hermione had always enjoyed shopping alone. There was no one there to nag her about what they should buy or to slow her down, (or perhaps rush her if she was in a bookstore). Going into Quality Quidditch Supplies, she took two identical gift sets from the shelves and paid for them. That was done. What should she do now? As if by way of answering, a plume of purple smoke appeared from a chimney down the alley. The Quibblers editing offices. Hermione hadn't gotten to talk to Luna much, the night before. As much as Hermione didn't understand Luna's dreamy ways, over the years she had begun to find them amusing, endearing if she was pushing it.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27

Severus was on his way to the Quibblers editing offices for a meeting with Luna Lovegood. Last night they had discussed a new potion she had invented and he'd agreed to do research on it and to test it out. He wanted to sell Spinners End and buy a new house or renovate it. However he knew that it wouldn't fetch enough money to buy a house that was any better. His teaching job also didn't get him enough money to renovate it. Either way he was going to have to earn some extra money. His experience in potions meant that he could test the potion easily and Miss Lovegood was willing to pay a decent sum of money for it. As he reached the big yellow door, a bang and a loud hiss from within it startled him. _What went on in there?_ He thought as he hesitantly reached out to open the door.

* * *

Hermione had spent some time catching up with Luna and her patience was beginning to wear thin. After an hour of not being able to keep track of Luna's stories, (she frequently went off track or went silent, only to stare into the distance), Hermione wanted to pull her own hair out. _What happened to endearing?_ "Luna." Hermione interrupted, the blonde barely seemed to notice, "Do you have any work to do today?" Luna looked thoughtful and Hermione feared she had lost her to her thoughts again.

But after a moment she answered, "I have to go over the print for tomorrow and I have a meeting for a new potion I invented."

Hermione's eyebrows rose, "You invented a potion, has anyone tried it yet?"

"No, it's all on paper for now. Professor Snape is coming over to look at it and see if it works." Hermione tried to not let her reaction of the mention of her former professor show on her face. "I saw you both dancing yesterday, it looked like fun." At this remark Hermione couldn't hide her reaction. She gasped, managing to successfully inhale the blue drink she had been drinking and started coughing. Luna looked startled for a brief moment and waited for the coughing to stop. When it did, she continued speaking, "I took a picture. I was going to owl it to you and ask for permission to use it in the spread for the reunion. I was going to ask Professor Snape today."

"I don't think he'll give you permission to use them, Luna." Hermione said, hoping not to upset the dreamy girl stood before her.

"Oh well, would you like to see them? I think you'll like them." Luna swept over to her desk and pulled out a stack of pictures. She brought them over and set them on the table. Spreading them out Hermione saw that some of them were still, while others were moving. She picked one up. It was of her spinning around when she first entered the great hall. It was taken from above somehow and she could see the way her dress flared slightly. She saw Ginny looking up with her hand on her mouth and Ron gaping at the carvings on the wall.

She chuckled, "I like this one."

"So do I, it really shows the wonder of Hogwarts, whether it's the first time you see it or the tenth time."

Picking up the next one, she gasped. "How did you get this?" It was when Harry lifted up Ginny and spun her around. The image showed the rays of the sun catching Ginny's hair and the way she was looking into Harry's eyes. It was beautiful. "Luna, these pictures are amazing!"

"Thank you," her cheeks had gone slightly pink. "Do you want to see the one I got of you and Professor Snape?" Hermione hesitated, not wanting to seem too eager and nodded. Luna's eyes darted over the table and she picked up a picture. As she was about to hand it to Hermione, Professor Snape entered the office.

* * *

Severus stopped, shocked that Hermione was in front of him. _What was she doing here?_ He wondered. Luna ushered him into a seat and gave him a bright blue drink. Looking at the table in front of him Severus saw pictures from the reunion. They were very good; he was impressed. Luna sat between him and Hermione and said, "Good. Now I can show you together!"

"Show what?" Severus asked warily.

"The picture of you both last night." Severus' eyes went wide. What picture? She held the picture out in front of her and Severus heard a sharp intake of breath from Hermione. The picture was beautiful. It was of him and Hermione. He was holding her close as they danced, his chin resting on her head. They were both smiling and looked content. The sun was setting behind them, making the landscape behind them look... romantic? "Do you like it? Can I use it?" Luna asked. Neither of them said anything. Severus was speechless; he didn't know why Hermione was silent though. "I'm going to take that as a yes." Said Luna brightly. She swept up the pictures and continued, "Let's get down to business, shall we?" Hermione stood up to leave but Luna stopped her, "You're really good at potions too. The more the merrier, right?" Severus felt a strange sense of relief when Hermione nodded her head.

He stood up and Luna led them through a maze of corridors into a laboratory. "Here's the ingredients list." She said pointing to a piece of parchment, "And the method is next to it." Severus picked up the list and scanned the ingredients. They didn't seem like they would react badly together, but it depended on how they would be brewed.

"What is this potion for, Luna?" Said a soft voice beside him.

"It's a stronger version of Doxy repellent." Severus tried to keep his voice steady as he asked,

"Could you pass me the method Miss Granger?" She handed it to him and he tried not to react as her hand brushed his. Why was he so hypersensitive to her touch? He slid the ingredients list across to her and she began checking the amounts of the ingredients without him needing to say anything. He suppressed a proud smile and began checking the method. He saw a number of mistakes, "Luna, you'll need to add dried nettle to this, to neutralise it. It's too acidic, it'll burn through furniture. You need to turn down the temperature and shorten the brewing time if you're going to use a silver cauldron; it stays the same if you're using copper." When he finished making corrections and notes to the method and ingredients list Hermione took it from him.

"Sir, with the changes you've made, we'll need to put in more hornet wings. The dried nettle overpowers them."

They worked like this for some time until they thought they had the perfect formula. "Shall we test it?" Suggested Hermione.

"I don't see why not," He said, finishing his last minute checks.

"What time is it Luna?" Hermione asked.

"It's eleven thirty."

"Thanks."

They began brewing. Hermione was excellent at potions; the only thing that bothered him was how closely she followed the recipe. Brewing was an art, and you had to let it happen naturally. Improvise if you had to. He grabbed her hands as she meticulously measured out the powdered rose petals. "It says two shakes," he said taking the bottle from her and doing it himself.

"In the most recent edition of the potions journal, they said that a 'shake' is approximately-"

"Key word _approximately,_ there isn't an _exact_ measurement. Stop trying to get one. I've been doing the handfuls right?" She nodded. "You haven't done any because we don't want different sized handfuls. I don't get the exact same amount in my hands every time, but as long as it's roundabout the same amount then its fine," he huffed.

* * *

They finally finished. Hermione was exhausted, she had learnt so much from Snape. Watching him work on potions that weren't first year level really showed how talented he was. He brewed with care and each movement he made flowed into the next. Once again her eyes had been drawn to his hands, she'd stared unashamedly knowing that he was concentrating too much to even notice. She bottled up the potion and gave it to Luna. Severus spoke, "The potion is quite potent. Just leave it in the corner of a room with the top off, and in half an hour the doxies should be dead." Luna was looking out of the window and looked like she wasn't paying attention. Hermione wrote it down just in case. "Good idea," Severus said when he saw what she was doing. She blushed at the compliment. He held up the bottle and sounded… proud as he said, "We made a new potion." Her cheeks went even redder, (if that was possible), at the use of 'we'. _He was referring to Luna as well. Sheesh Hermione, get a grip._

"We make a good team." She said, smiling up at him.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 28 

Hermione left the offices in a hurry and made her way to the ministry. Upon arrival she asked for the auror offices and was given a pass to go down. _1:25_ she was just on time. Slowing down she entered the elevator and pressed the button before anyone else could. She took her place at the back as four ministry officials entered with her. The doors shut and the elevator lurched back. Hermione dropped the packages she was holding and grabbed onto the handles above her. She tried not to bump into the other people as the lift shot downwards. "Auror offices." Said a robotic female voice as the doors opened. Hermione quickly picked up her packages and left. She didn't want to be stuck in the elevator for longer than necessary. How Harry and Ron used it everyday was beyond her.

As she walked into the offices, she saw people already clearing their desks to get to lunch early. Harry and Ron were writing with quills and to anyone else would have looked like they were fiercely concentrating. But Hermione saw Ron's lips tighten to suppress a laugh and the way Harry's cheek was sucked in slightly like he was biting the inside of it. Harry's eyes flicked up and locked on Hermione. He stood up with his parchment and went over to Ron's desk. Ron looked up to find her as Harry returned to his desk. The clock struck 1:30 as she reached Harry's desk. "Hermione!" He said, sounding surprised. Ron's head snapped up as if he was surprised and Harry waved him over as the other workers left the floor. As soon as the last people left Harry and Ron ran over to a door at the back. Hermione rushed to keep up with them.

"This is where they keep the files. Me and Harry kept a watch on everyone that went in or out and no one took Umbridge's files." Said Ron.

"Imagine what'd happen if someone moved them!" Harry said, laughing. They entered a room with filing cabinets from floor to ceiling. They covered every wall. How were they going to find Umbridge's? Harry seemed to know where to go, as he walked confidently to one and opened a drawer. Pulling out a thick folder, he smiled broadly. "This is the one."

"We're staying in here, so we can put it away quickly in case someone comes back early." Ron informed her. She took out her wand and conjured three cushions for them to sit on. They sat down and opened the file.

_Name: Dolores Umbridge_

_Currently: Azkaban_

A red sticker had been put underneath saying:  
_To be moved to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Convicted of: Crimes against students. Using illegal methods of punishment._

The next few pages contained evidence and newspaper clippings. After them was a report on her behaviour in Azkaban:

_Dolores Umbridge: Mostly silent and doesn't communicate with other prisoners. No problems found from medical reports but she occasionally laughs to herself or 'hem hem's when there isn't anybody there. We've also heard snatches of phrases from when she talks to herself such as, "Three", "Ministry", "Hogwarts" and "Minister". We presume that these are snatches from her remembering her past. Her high position in the ministry and her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

After that came details of her move to Hogwarts, which involved worryingly little security measures. The next page showed her schedule:

_To be living in the second floor rooms._

Most of the teacher's rooms were there.

_To join Hogsmeade weekends if there is one month of good behaviour.  
(Must be supervised for the first 4 times)._

_Mondays: Help in kitchens. (Supervised)_  
Tuesdays: Help in Transfiguration lessons. (Supervised)  
Wednesdays: Help in Potions lessons. (Supervised)  
Thursdays: Help in Charms lessons. (Supervised)  
Fridays: Help in Defence against the Dark Arts. (Supervised)

"She's helping in potions lessons?" Harry said frowning.

"What are you supposed to do then?" Asked Ron.

"I don't know."

"You need to tell Professor Mconagall about this. She'll sort you something out." Harry said.

"And tell her what? That I went through confidential files at the ministry?" She said exasperated.

"We've done loads of things. She might be angry at first but the bottom line is your safety. She'll do something." Harry reassured her. They were about to turn the page when they heard the sound of footsteps. Harry checked the time, "Lunch hasn't finished yet." He hissed. They shoved everything back into the cabinet and Hermione disillusioned them. They shuffled into a corner of the room as the door was opened and someone came in whistling. It was Arthur Weasley. He opened the drawer they had just been rifling through and pulled out a thick folder. Hermione groaned inwardly. _This had to happen now, didn't it?_ He quickly flicked through it and left, taking the folder with him. As soon as he left Hermione removed the charm. "We'll go out for lunch. We still have time. And we need to figure this out." Said Harry.

"Where do you want to go?" Ron asked.

Harry grinned, "How about Hogwarts? We could eat in your room 'Mione." She liked the sound of that.

"Let's go."

They were now in Hermione's room. Hermione had gone to the kitchens to ask the house elves for food and they'd all eaten. Now they were trying to make sense out of the new information they'd found. It wasn't easy. "Well, we know that 'Mione's going to have to take Wednesdays off." Stated Ron.

"I don't want to take the day off though. Maybe they could change Umbridge's schedule?"

"Maybe, but there's only two days of the holidays left. That's not a lot of notice." Said Harry, "I'm trying to figure out what she meant by, 'three', 'minister', 'ministry' and 'Hogwarts'."

"I wouldn't be surprised if 'three' was us." Ron said, snorting.

"She was probably thinking about her move to Hogwarts when she said Hogwarts." Hermione offered.

"And she was probably thinking of Cornelius Fudge when she said minister." Said Harry, fluttering his lashes dramatically. They all laughed and all thoughts of Umbridge were lost as they had fun.

* * *

**I remember seeing the Order of the Phoenix and reading it for the first time and I thought that Umbridge fancied Fudge XD**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 29

It was the last day of the holidays and Severus attempted to mentally prepare himself for the students return. And Umbridge's return, he didn't know what the ministry was thinking. The woman was dangerous, and annoying. Perhaps her time in Azkaban had changed the old hag, but it wasn't likely. He found it difficult to trust the ministry, despite the fact that Kingsley was in charge. He didn't have a say in court rulings anyway. Sighing, Severus let his thoughts wander to the next day. In such a small space of time he had gotten used to the calm that came with the absence of the students. It happened every year. But he would soon get used to the constant noise again, though it would still annoy him. And now there was also the fact that he'd recognised his feelings for Hermione. It was going to be even harder to have her with him all day. A knock on his bedroom door made him come back to the present, and he stood up to open it. "Severus," It was Minerva, "Would you accompany me to my office, I have something to discuss with you." The tone of her voice, though kind, had an underlying hard note and Severus sensed that no wasn't going to be accepted as an answer. He needed a distraction from his thoughts anyway, thinking about everything the next day would bring was making him stress.

"Fine," He said, shutting his door behind him and following Minerva out of the dungeons.

* * *

Hermione had spent all of the last night thinking of how to tell Minerva about the new information she'd found out about Umbridge. By morning she had gathered enough courage to visit the headmistress. Minerva hadn't been happy at first but agreed to find some way to help. But because of the short notice Umbridge was going to have to be in potions lessons for at least the first couple of weeks. Hermione had suggested swapping potions with divination but Professor Trelawney's experience with Umbridge still upset her to this day. Even after all these years had passed she was still scared of her. Minerva had left the room to bring Severus to her office. She said it wasimportant for him to know because his timetable would be the one that would change the most because of Umbridge's arrival and Hermione's days off. She waited for the sound of footsteps and the familiar swish of robes as she stayed seated.

* * *

Upon entering the office, Severus saw Hermione and wondered why she was there. Had something happened? Severus had been under the impression that it was going to be just him and Minerva. He was clearly mistaken. As he took a seat next to Hermione, Minerva spoke, "As you already know Dolores Umbridge is returning to Hogwarts." _Aaaannd._ "And I've just been informed of her schedule."

"Why do I need to know this?" He interrupted.

Minerva continued as if she hadn't noticed, "She will be in the kitchens on Mondays, in transfiguration lessons on Tuesdays, in potions lessons on Wednesdays-"

"In potions lessons!" Severus yelled, "Why would she be in my lessons?! And what about Miss Granger?" _Oh shit,_ he thought as Hermione turned a surprised look his way.

"That's why you need to know," Minerva said, smirking at him, "Miss Granger will have to take Wednesdays off for the first couple of weeks at least. We didn't have enough notice to make changes sooner. But I'm sure that once I let the ministry know about the situation they will switch potions with another lesson. I called you here because your timetable is going to be moved around a lot, with the changes between Hermione and Umbridge." The witch pulled out his timetable and began to jot notes on it. The days Dolores would be with him and when she assumed it would go back to normal.

"I've got two practicals on the second Wednesday! I could do it without an assistant but supervising that insufferable woman will make it near impossible." He grabbed a quill from a holder and switched the practical to the next day. "That means I'm going to have to start the new topic on Wednesday and do the potion from the last topic the day after," He groaned, "This is going to complicate things more than usual."

"You should be grateful that Miss Granger found the information. You have today to sort this out, not a nasty surprise on Wednesday." He looked at Hermione, shocked.

"I thought the ministry told you."

"No, there's been no word from the ministry since the reunion." Minerva said, shaking her head.

"How did you find out?" He asked addressing Hermione directly.

"I –uh we," She stuttered. It had to be something bad if she was stuttering. "We went into the auror offices and went through her file without permission." She said looking down at her feet.

"We?"

"Me, Harry and Ron." She whispered.

He snorted, "I don't know why I'm surprised. I know that they're foolish but I didn't expect them to be so foolish as to risk their jobs and I _certainly_ wouldn't have expected you to have had anything to do with it!"

She shrugged and said, "Damage control." Made sense, she had been the one on many occasions to save the boys from their terrible decisions.

He laughed as he said, "Well thank you for damage control." She blushed at the compliment. She looked so pretty when she blushed. _Pretty? Oh my goodness, what is wrong with you?!_

"I think we're finished here," Minerva said and stood up to lead them out of the office. The meeting was finished.

* * *

As Severus turned to walk down the stairs Hermione thought quickly. "Severus!" She called after him. _Oh no, you never call him Severus, you idiot!_ He turned around looking surprised. Hermione mustered up her courage and asked, "Would you want to join me for a cup of tea?"

He arched an eyebrow at her and she feared he would make a snide remark, but instead he said, "I don't see why not."


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I think you'll see my taste in books come through in Hermione's XD. Unfortunately I can't put down the Harry Potter books as one of the favourites, but these are books I love just as much. I'm not sure if it's necessary for me to say this but I also do not own any of the books that are going to be mentioned below. Unfortunately, despite being a Ravenclaw I am not such a genius that I could create these masterpieces. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 30

Although there had been a big fuss about Umbridge's arrival in the morning, Hermione had stayed in her room and hadn't gotten a glimpse of her. Today was Monday which meant Umbridge was helping out in the kitchens, and Hermione could go about her normal business. As she cleaned the desks with a quick scourgify, (the students hadn't wasted any time in writing on the desks), Hermione couldn't help but smile. Tea with Severus yesterday had gone well. Really well. At first they talked about Umbridge but the topic soon flowed into work and then hobbies. She found out that Severus' favourite books were the muggle Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkien. She had loved them as a teen, and still did. Time flew by and soon it was time for dinner. Hermione didn't ask for his company after that, she didn't want to irritate him. After she finished cleaning the desks, she could go for her break. Hopefully Umbridge wouldn't be around.

* * *

Severus had tried to be professional with Hermione today. He didn't want her knowing that he had those sorts of feelings for her. After yesterday, though they weren't quite friends, they'd developed some sort of relationship. It made their working relationship a lot easier but in other aspects it had become more difficult, (for him at least). Like when Hermione helped first year Richard Ames with his spellings. She had crouched down and helped him. He had been nervous at first but after a few whispered words seemed to get on easier. She just had that sort of air about her. One that could put anyone at ease. He'd had to stop a smile then, and many times after. Her efficiency made him want to smile. Her effort made him want to smile. And her smile made him want to smile. Since when had he turned into such a sap?

* * *

Her break was usually spent by the lake, but after five minutes of reading under a tree, a patronus bounded up to her. It had told her she was wanted in Minerva's office. _Probably needs to talk to me about Umbridge._ With a sigh she put her copy of The Magicians Nephew into her bag and made her way up to Minerva's office.

When she got there she was surprised to see Kingsley Shacklebolt sat across from Minerva. "Professor, you called for me?" Minerva's head turned and she smiled at her ex-student.

"Yes dear, take a seat." Hermione sat, unsure as to why she had been called. She had assumed it would just be another warning to keep out of Umbridge's way but clearly it was something a lot more important. The minister himself wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

"You look star struck," Kingsley said laughing. His deep voice immediately put her at ease. After all the time that had passed since the war, Hermione had somehow managed to forget how down to earth and fatherly Kingsley was. She laughed, sitting herself down beside him.

"Well the minister of magic has graced me with his presence. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Was that sarcasm? No it couldn't have been. Your description seems to describe my effect on people perfectly." He said with mock nonchalance. Minerva snorted. So did Hermione.

"Well, why don't we get down to why we're here in the first place." Hermione said, steering the conversation back in the right direction.

"Kingsley wanted to visit. I sent the letter yesterday and he decided to come in person. This is a rather high profile prisoner we're discussing. If our letters were intercepted, a lot of important information could go missing. Or public." Minerva said by way of explanation.

"I like to be as open as possible with the public about what I'm doing. But there are things that can't be shared with them just yet. Umbridge's move is new news. And it's big news. Right now it's best that we don't share too much. We still have things to settle like your requests. When we keep chopping and changing, the public feel like we're not decisive enough. Unexpected things happen and we need to deal with it. But people like to think they have a perfectly stable government, especially now after the war." Kingsley said. What he was saying was reasonable. But one prisoner, really?

"Kingsley, I understand what you're saying. But this is _one_ prisoner." Hermione said. She wanted the public to know everything. That way was the way _she_ could know everything.

"This _one_ prisoner affected a lot of the people that were students at the time. The students at the time are now the adults. Umbridge isn't a popular woman. And many, including myself think that she is being let off too easily. You know how for the order, Severus had to do many things? Many _bad_ things?" Hermione nodded, unsure of where this was going. "Well the public forgave him, because what he was doing was a necessary evil. He was doing it for, overall, a good purpose. With Umbridge she had no good purpose behind what she was doing. It was simply because she was a terrible person. The public aren't so quick to forgive that. They want harsh punishments for harsh crimes. If they think we're being indecisive on this, rumours will spread and demand for a retrial will be arriving through my letterbox every day. In situations like this, the public have power over me, not the other way round. But the thing is I can't change this. I don't have a say." He looked resigned, and Hermione noticed a heaviness in his previously carefree face. He must have been under a lot of stress. Yet he was still here trying to protect her. She felt a surge of gratefulness for the man sat before her.

"I'm sorry Kingsley, I'm being so selfish. You already have so much on your plate with this trial. I can put up with missing a day every week. You don't need any silly demands complicating this any more than it needs to be."

Kingsley frowned at her and said, "Hermione, nothing is too much trouble to keep a fellow order member safe. We're there to back each other up. It isn't going to make my life any more difficult than it already is." He chuckled, "Getting to order meetings is probably the most trouble I have right now."

Minerva laughed, "It's got to be, minister of magic, the deputy minister of magic, the golden trio, head mistress of Hogwarts and lots of war heroes gathering in one place in secret, when each of us are so closely followed by the media!" She continued talking, this time directly to Kingsley, "And you can't do anything about it without raising suspicion!"

The order had stayed intact, despite Voldemort being defeated. They kept up with each other's news and met once a week to catch up and discuss how they could help along investigations of suspicious people. Most of them weren't aurors, (like Harry, Ron or Tonks), so they weren't risking their jobs by being in a group that used ideas that weren't 'ministry approved' to catch criminals. Because really, who was going to suspect someone like Arabella Figg was spying on them? This was the way they could continue to help out society and weed out any people that may have been involved in the war. Most of them were in jail but many were still out there.

The meeting was interrupted only once by a house elf with some tea. Minerva had no sugar, Hermione didn't either and Kingsley had one spoon. Once the details had been discussed, (after next week Umbridge would go to arithmancy instead of potions), Kingsley and Hermione said their goodbyes to each other and Minerva, and went off to their respective jobs. None of them had noticed that the sugar was slightly pink.

* * *

**Pink sugar… this doesn't seem good. Well thank goodness Hermione and Minerva didn't have it. But come on its just sugar. Kingsley should be fine ;)**

**Also The Magicians Nephew is from the Narnia series. In recommended reading order it would be the first one, just in case you were wondering. The other two were entire series so I thought I'd better tell you which series this came from. Come to think of it, most of my favourite books are a series or a part of one. Like A Series of Unfortunate Events or Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia… Is anybody else like that?**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 31

Hermione rushed into the dungeons fifteen minutes late. Severus didn't acknowledge her arrival save from a tightening of his jaw. The meeting with Minerva and Kingsley had been longer than she expected and it had run into her work time. _I'll talk to him after class_ she thought, sitting herself down and trying to catch up with what was being taught. Lycanthropy. Hermione remembered when Severus had taught them about it in third year. Her mind wandered off to snatches of her memories. Severus protecting them from the werewolf. Peter Pettigrew. The marauders map. Sirius. She hadn't seen him much since the war ended. His life was pretty hectic at the moment as he was just starting to make amends with his brother. Regulus was a quiet man, but he was polite and well mannered. At least whenever she spoke to him at meetings. He got along with Lupin and Harry well. That was probably because they both spent a lot of time with Sirius, so Regulus got to know them better. She didn't know much about Sirius' childhood but from what she'd heard it seemed he got along with his brother before the blood purity thing tore them apart.

* * *

Severus was finally finished for the day. There wasn't much trouble save from Hermione being late. He had been worried about her, the first day Umbridge was back and no sign of Hermione. What was so important that she hadn't thought to give him some notice? As he packed up his things Hermione appeared beside him. "I- I thought I should let you know why I'm late."

"Do tell." Severus said rolling his eyes and he didn't bother to stifle a yawn. An emotion flickered behind her eyes. Hurt. He had seen the look on many people's faces before. As soon as he placed it he felt bad for being so rude to her. He wasn't about to apologise, but he was going to let her speak.

"I was called to a meeting with Minerva. And Kingsley was there too. I lost track of the time while we were discussing the details about Umbridge. I came down here as quickly as I could." She was rambling. And it was giving him a headache.

"Fine. It's not the end of the bloody world, calm down." He grunted. Hermione immediately stopped talking and he realised he had been too harsh. Again. _Can't get anything right, can you?_ He rubbed his hands over his face and tried to think of a way to remedy the situation. She had seemed to enjoy tea the day before. Maybe she'd want to carry it on. "Why don't we just have some more tea?" The girl looked confused and he wasn't surprised. His sudden mood change would surprise anyone. She was still looking at him strangely. Taking a deep breath he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his room.

* * *

Hermione was too surprised to even act like she was annoyed at Severus for dragging her about by her wrist, but even as she recovered a cup of tea was thrust into her hand and she was ushered into a seat. By then she was too amused to mind about what had happened.

The next day Hermione was woken by the pecking of an owl. "Ow. OW! Hedwig! Ow!" She pulled the letter from its beak and shooed it away _. Bloody Harry, what did he want?_ Opening it, she frowned. Although Harry's handwriting wasn't brilliant, this was barely legible:

_Hermione, I'm writing this to you at the end of my workday. I'd send it later, but London to Scotland isn't a short distance. Kingsley went to Hogwarts today to talk to you. When he came back he started throwing things around his office and yelling at anyone that stood in front of him. Did something bad happen? I'm really worried about him. He's never been like this. What if Umbridge did something to him? Hermione please reply soon. I won't be able to stop worrying otherwise._

_Harry._

Kingsley had been fine when he'd visited Hogwarts. Umbridge was down in the kitchens all day so she couldn't have spoken to him. Or gotten close enough to hex him. She'd show the note to Minerva. Maybe she'd know what to do. She didn't want to wake her, but this seemed important. She'd have to.

The office door was already open and two voices that she recognised were coming from within it. Snape's and Minerva's. Pushing open the door she was surprised to see Severus with his feet up on the head mistresses desk and she was just laughing at something he'd said, not doing anything about it. She cleared her throat and got their attention. Severus smiled warmly at her but quickly concealed it when Minerva shot a curious glance his way. "Why are you waiting at the door? Come in!" The witch said.

"Sorry to bother you Professor, but I just received an owl from Harry." Said Hermione, taking a seat and passing the note to the head mistress. "It seems that after his visit yesterday, Kingsley has been acting… strange."

"So it seems." She murmured and she handed the note so Severus. He scanned it quickly and a frown came upon his face.

"This isn't what Kingsley's usually like. Do any of you know what happened?" He asked, looking between them both.

"No idea." Hermione said and Minerva shook her head. Hermione hoped they could find out though.

* * *

**So the pink sugar _did_ have an effect on Kingsley. How was I supposed to know? And as you can see I just casually brought Lupin, Sirius, Tonks and Regulus back to life in this chapter and the last one. It's always upset me that Sirius didn't know his brother had changed his ways and had tried to destroy the horcrux. And Lupin and Tonks were such amazing characters and their story was so amazing that I wanted them to be alive too. They deserved to live longer. Seriously I think I have a problem. My feelings on Harry Potter are way too strong XD Well the first stage to remedying a problem is to admit you have one… Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**I keep on saying this but a big thank you to everyone who had read the story so far! I hope you're enjoying this so far!**

**What's up with Kingsley? And how are we going to find out? Well today Umbridge is in potions lessons so Hermione isn't going to be able to discuss it with Severus…**

Chapter 32

Yesterday had been a normal day, save from the worrying in the back of her head. After talking with Minerva and Severus, Hermione had written a reply to Harry's letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_Sorry for the delay in replying but I decided to show your letter to Minerva and Snape. They didn't know what happened, he was fine when he was here and Umbridge was helping in the kitchens. There was no way she could have done anything. Maybe something happened at the ministry? I don't know, there's definitely something odd here though._

_Hermione_

Now she was in Minerva's office helping her reply to some ministry letters. She wondered how Severus was getting on with Umbridge hovering over him. "Professor?"

"Hm?" Minerva said without looking up from the letter she was writing.

"Has anyone let you know what Umbridge has been like?" She asked. She wanted to know if Umbridge was acting suspicious.

"The house elves didn't seem to have a problem with her being there. She helped to cook and make snacks. Yesterday it was my day in transfiguration so she was with me. The only thing she did was hover over my shoulder all day and 'hem hem' in my ear." Minerva's knuckles turned white as she gripped her quill harder, "So bloody annoying."

"You think she hasn't changed then?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," the older witch sighed, "It could be a habit that's too ingrained for her to stop. But there was no need for her to hover like that."

"Do you think she had anything to do with the way Kingsley's been acting?"

"It's the first thing I thought. But I don't see how she could have done it." She had abandoned the letter now and was paying full attention to Hermione. "I'm going to send letters out for an early order meeting. Kingsley's only been getting worse. Today he had an interview and he didn't show up. And there was an article in The Daily Prophet about how he shouted at a reporter."

"Have you written the invitations yet?" Hermione asked and Minerva shook her head. "Do you want me to do them?"

"Yes, if you want to that is." She said with a smile. Hermione set to writing the invitations:

Dear _

An order meeting will be taking place today at 7pm. Please reply as soon as possible if you can make it as we don't want to waste time waiting for people to turn up if they aren't going to. Sorry for the short notice.

Hermione got Minerva to sign the bottom and went to the owlery to send most of them off. The ministry was too far away to send the letters by owl on time, so she went to her room to grab a cloak and set off to deliver the letters.

She went straight to the auror offices, (taking the stairs this time), and handed the letters to a surprised Harry, Ron and Tonks. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Meeting tonight, can you guys come?" Hermione asked.

"I can, I'll let Remus know after work." Tonks said in a hushed tone.

"Could you floo Sirius and let him know?" Tonks nodded and carried on with her work.

"Me too." Ron said, "Do you want me to tell Fred, George and Bill?" He asked.

"No need, I'm heading to Diagon Alley next." He nodded discreetly and carried on filling out the papers he was working on.

Harry whispered a quick, "I'll be there." And headed to a cubicle to pass over two wands that were probably from Azkaban prisoners. Hermione went back up the stairs and handed the letter to Kingsley's personal assistant, with the instruction to, "Give it to him as soon as you see him." Then she flooed to Diagon Alley and headed into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to give a letter to Fred and George and they ruffled her hair as she made her way out. Gringotts was her next stop. "I'd like to speak to Bill Weasley." Bill was back in England for a few months as Gringotts needed more curse breakers at home. The goblin she had just spoken to pressed a button on his elevated desk.

"Move to the side. You're getting in other peoples way." It said, nodding to the small queue behind her. She only had to wait a few minutes for Bill to appear from seemingly nowhere.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?" Bill asked with a smile.

"To deliver an invitation to an urgent order meeting." Hermione murmured the last bit, her eyes darting round to the goblins around her.

"The goblins don't care about what we wizards do, as long as it doesn't affect them. I thought you'd know that." He said laughing.

"Will you be able to make it? It's at seven." Hermione asked and Bill nodded.

"I'll let Fleur know when I get home. What's up anyway?" He asked.

"That would defeat the purpose of having a meeting." Hermione laughed. "It's just about Umbridge and the way Kingsley's been acting, you know? Maybe something's up with him; we can ask him at the meeting." Bill's face turned serious.

"I've heard about that. Does nobody know what's up with him?"

"Not anyone I've spoken to. Anyway I'd best be getting back to the castle, lunch is soon and I want to tell Professor Mconagall that everyone I've personally delivered the letters to are coming."

"Alright then, see you at the meeting." Bill said and as she walked out the door, he returned to his office.

* * *

Severus hadn't seen Hermione at all, though he'd probably be able to deal with that usually, having _Umbridge_ hem hemming in his ear all day was the last straw. The irritating hag had hovered over his shoulder all day long, never speaking just _breathing down his neck_. He screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Breathe Severus. Just breathe._ Now it was time for lunch so he'd finally be able to get away from her and perhaps catch a glimpse of Hermione. But being away from that insufferable woman would be enough for him right now.

Entering the great hall, Severus found Minerva had saved the two seats beside her. He walked up to them and asked, "Is one of these mine?" Minerva cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You'd probably take the seat anyway." She said and he smirked at her.

"You know me too well." He said and sat down. The moment he'd entered the room he had noticed the absence of one person. Hermione. "Who's the other seat for?" He asked, knowing full well who it was for.

"Hermione. She went out to give invitations for the meeting tonight that couldn't be delivered on time by owl." Oh, that's where she was then. At break his owl had arrived informing him of the meeting.

"Why didn't you just give the invitation to me by hand?" He asked.

"I couldn't be bothered and I didn't want Hermione to go near Umbridge." Said Minerva with a shrug. _That makes sense,_ he thought as his first course appeared in front of him. He tucked in. When he finished, he began talking to Minerva about the meeting. They would be meeting up in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in the big stock room at the back. The twins had extended it since they had first opened up the store due to the huge demand of their products. As much as he disliked the products, he was glad they had become as popular as they had. Changing headquarters every week was incredibly frustrating. The Black family home had contained many dark items that had been cleared out after the war. A clean up had been attempted before that but professional checks had shown there were far more than they had originally thought. Since then it had been under regular checks by the ministry. There were the occasional random checks as well, which meant it wasn't safe for use as headquarters anymore.

"Sorry I'm late." Severus froze; he turned and saw who had spoken. Hermione. She looked amazing. Her cheeks flushed with errant curls escaping from her low bun. She took the seat beside Minerva without question and her first course appeared before her. A breath-taking smile stretched across her face when she saw the food and she wasted no time in digging in.

Severus was back in his chambers and was getting ready for the order meeting. Normally he would go in his usual black robes but after the day he'd had today he wanted to relax. He changed into a loose black shirt and a pair of black chinos. He combed his hair back and tied it into a top knot. He hadn't shaved today, but he really couldn't be arsed right now. He had a meeting to get to anyway.

* * *

**I also brought Fred back to life XD I can't help it, these characters are just too awesome to not make an appearance :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter; the meeting will be up next!**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**So it's time for the meeting now! Let's begin…**

Chapter 33

Hermione was early for the meeting as she couldn't wait to discuss everything that had happened with the others. Even if they couldn't find a solution they'd still make her feel better about the whole thing, sharing the load with other people helped her cope. Minerva was the first person to arrive. She came through the floo; the twins had set a fireplace in an alcove towards the back of the room. Next was Severus, coming through the back entrance. Harry came through the front door with his invisibility cloak on, and Ron was beside him wearing a glamour charm. Ginny came through the front as well, considering it was her brothers shop she had an excuse for being here if she got caught. Tonks, Lupin, Sirius and Regulus came next, taking off their disillusion charm the moment they entered the back room. Fleur came in through the floo with Bill not far behind. Professor Sprout came in though the back entrance with Professor Flitwick under her cloak. They heard the front door open and the voices of the twins as they made their way to the back room. But before they got there, Hermione caught a whispered, "Oh shit." From George. She wondered what happened.

Someone was saying something and she heard Fred answer with, "Rita! So lovely to see you. We just forgot some papers that we needed to look over." The boy's footsteps went further away from the back door and they heard the front one click shut. Seconds later they heard the loud pop of them apparating away.

"They should be back in a little bit," Said Tonks checking her watch and sure enough moments later they came tumbling through the floo.

"Bloody Rita Skeeter." Said Fred by way of explanation. The boys took a transfigured chair each and George spoke.

"Who's missing?"

They were missing a number of people but one person's absence was noticed the most, Kingsley's. Hermione wondered what was keeping him. He'd never missed an order meeting till date. What if he was in trouble? "His assistant informed me that she'd given him the letter." Said Minerva and Hermione started to worry.

* * *

Everyone had arrived now except Kingsley. Severus wasn't surprised; with the way he'd been acting recently he hadn't been expecting him to turn up. He could see Hermione on the other side of the room. She looked worried. It pained him that he couldn't reassure her. Severus knew that Kingsley wasn't coming, and that they were wasting valuable time by waiting for him. He decided to speak, "Why don't we just start the meeting? We can catch Kingsley up on it when he comes." Most people in the room nodded their assent and they all went silent as the meeting begun.

* * *

"Why don't we just start the meeting? We can catch Kingsley up on it when he comes." Said a voice from across the room. She knew that voice, she turned to look at him like many others did. She looked at him unashamedly, him speaking had given her an excuse to look and she had to say, he looked amazing. He had stubble on his jaw and a topknot in his hair. The combination of that with his shirt and chino's made him look… well, _sexy_. Her face flushed as she realised what she was thinking. Hermione knew she liked Severus Snape but staring at him like she was would be making it obvious to anyone else who happened to look her way. Feeling the presence of someone arriving next to her, she schooled her expression into one of disinterest. "Let's go sit down." The person beside her said. It was Luna. Hermione nodded and sat between her and Ginny and everyone fell silent as the meeting commenced.

Minerva stood up and said, "The meeting has been called today to discuss the arrival of Umbridge at Hogwarts and the behaviour of Kingsley Shacklebolt shortly after his visit to the castle."

"You make it sound like the two are connected." Said a voice at the other end of the table, it was Dean.

"They might be." Said Minerva with a smile. "We can't rule out that possibility." A murmur went around the table and Regulus stuck his hand up meekly. Professor Mconagall nodded at him and he spoke.

She had to strain to hear his quiet voice as he said, "If you think the two events are connected then you should recap what happened, right?" Hermione watched as Minerva nodded and began to recount the day.

"Umbridge came in the morning, she was returned her wand and she was sent straight down to the kitchens for the entire day. Kingsley hadn't arrived yet. A little while later he arrived, we had discussed the meeting over letters. It was for Umbridge to be moved to a different classroom on Wednesdays as Hermione was in the dungeons as well. As we all know Harry, Hermione and Ronald ensured that she was imprisoned in Azkaban by going to almost every trial there was in that case. We feared that she may still hold a grudge, so for Hermione's safety we wanted to move Umbridge to a different part of the castle. When he arrived I sent for Hermione so she could hear the plans and tell Kingsley what her requirements were. He was fine then. He never acted strange or like what is being reported in the newspapers at the moment." Minerva said shaking her head.

"Was the meeting ever interrupted?" Asked Lupin.

"Only once by a house elf with some tea." Said Minerva. A gasp came from opposite Hermione. It was Tonks.

"Umbridge was in the kitchens! She might have made the tea!" Tonks blurted out. Everyone stared wide eyed at her and looked at Minerva and Hermione suspiciously.

"If the tea is what did it then why aren't 'Mione and Professor Mconagall acting evil?" Asked Ron slowly. Then it dawned on Hermione.

"The sugar," She whispered. Everyone looked confused but Minerva understood.

"Kingsley was the only one who had sugar." Mconagall said looking into Hermione's eyes.

* * *

All of a sudden the room erupted into activity, everyone speaking at once. Severus grimaced at the noise and a piercing whistle cut through it. Everyone quieted down and Harry stood up.

"If Umbridge put something in Kingsley's tea then she must have had a reason for it. She must have had a plan. Before we take her to the courts we need to have evidence against her. Something strong that they can't refute, like they've done this time." He said.

"Someone is going to have to go undercover," Muttered Lupin.

"I'll do it." Offered Nymphadora brightly.

"Tonks I don't think you're the best one for an undercover job." Said Harry gently. Lupin looked relieved. She shrugged it off. Thank goodness for that, they didn't need a scene.

"I could do it." Severus froze; he knew that voice and there was no way Hermione was putting herself in danger like that. It seemed that others in the room agreed with what he was thinking.

"Hermione you'll be recognised straight away!"

"I'll use a glamour charm."

"'Mione this is too dangerous."

"It's only gathering evidence. And I have the same days off as she has so it doesn't look suspicious that I'm around her, she'll only be able to go to Hogsmeade on some weekends and that's supervised mostly." Most people shut up after that, but no way was she going into this alone. He didn't trust her to not get herself hurt.

"I'll do it too." He said. Minerva looked like she was about to say something so he kept on talking, "I have reason to be there, I'm a teacher and it's a Hogsmeade weekend, why wouldn't I be there? And some still think I'm a shifty person that hangs out in dark alleys so if Umbridge goes there I have every reason to be there too. And to make it look like I'm not following her around I'll use a glamour charm every now and again." Nobody could argue with him. His explanation was great; there was no bone they could pick. He was a powerful wizard; they all knew that he'd be able to protect Hermione.

"Is it final then? Hermione and Severus are going to be the ones that go undercover?" Minerva asked and a general murmur of assent went round the table. "We need to sort out one more thing before we go." He knew what was coming, "We need to find out what was in the sugar and find an antidote to it." She said.

"I could get the sugar." Said Neville, "The house elves like me." He said chuckling.

"And I could analyse it." Said Luna softly. Severus watched in amusement as Neville turned red and quickly agreed to the plan.

"Is that okay?" Asked Minerva and sounds of agreement reverberated through the room. "Well that's all for today," She finished with a smile.

* * *

Hermione watched as everyone stood up and Harry and Ron took Neville to the back of the room. Neville looked a lot more confident about something as their conversation came to an end. Luna walked over to Neville with the suggestion of, "We should get started right away! Why don't we get the sugar and analyse it at my house." Neville turned bright red but seemed to control himself by taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go." He said in a shaky voice. From the corner of her eye she saw Harry, Ron, Fred and George high five each other. She shook her head holding in a laugh when all of a sudden Severus appeared in front of her.

"We'll meet for tea in my room tomorrow to plan." He said. She nodded speechless as he swept out of the back door.

* * *

**I love the pairing of Neville and Luna so it had to have a part in the fic. Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**A shorter chapter this time, but it's different. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 34

Her heels clicked down the stone corridor as she made her way to the charms classroom. Today it was the fool Flitwick's turn. Well he was probably the easiest to intimidate, well the easiest after that _seer._ As she entered the classroom she saw a copy of The Daily Prophet on the desk. Flitwick scribbled notes on an essay as she unfurled it and a grin that would rival the Cheshire cat's came upon her face. **_Calls for Minister to resign after attack on journalist._** As much as she disliked the woman, Rita Skeeter was helping her along nicely. Though obviously she didn't know it. Skeeter's thirst for gossip was adding more fuel to the fire that was her plan. Stifling a chuckle she put the newspaper down. Her plan was working well then. The powder she had attained was rare but it was available in the UK in certain apothecaries. She'd always disguised it as sugar when she worked at the ministry. It had a slightly pink tinge that wasn't too noticeable. Most would probably write it off as something to do with the lighting. She had kept it hidden in her sugar bowl at home and work. The actual bag of sugar being in a cupboard. It was incredibly inconspicuous. When she returned to her house to get her belongings after Azkaban she grabbed her sugar bowl on the way out. The person who was watching her gave her a strange look but didn't say anything. He probably thought she was slightly insane after her time in Azkaban. The powder's effect was to make the user unstable. It wasn't available to just anyone, but her high position at the ministry in the past had granted her to buy it. Its name was puluerem instabilitatem. Known in the potions industry as pi. Wasn't Minerva stupid? Letting her in the kitchens on the same day the minister of magic was visiting. What was she thinking; it wasn't just wands that did magic. But her plan was too sensitive for her to taunt Minerva about it. Well it was all coming along nicely. Except the miss she'd had with the little miss know it all Granger. The brat had evaded it by not having any sugar. The little girl was only a side plan though. She could deal with her later. Soon the minister would be kicked out of his position and when she came up with the solution, she would be respected. Probably let back in as a normal citizen and she could work her way back up to the top and take the place she deserved. Minister of magic. When she was minister, she'd bulldoze this place to the ground and build a newer, better school. Trelawney and Mconagall were not invited to teach. She chuckled, Flitwick looked up at her, suspicious but she simply smiled, looked down at the paper he was marking and hem hemmed. The effect it seemed to have on everybody here was astounding. Severus Snape, Minerva Mconagall and now Filius Flitwick. She rolled her eyes. They were all so stupid.

* * *

**Umbridge's POV, gosh I _really_ dislike that woman, sorry (monster) XD **

**Puluerem instabilitatem is Latin for powdered instability.**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Recapping the last couple of chapters we know that Severus and Hermione have volunteered to go undercover to find out what Umbridge is doing. And we find out what Umbridge's plans are.**

**I did media studies for a little while and this is an omniscient narrative, which is where we know more than the characters about what is happening. (A little bit of learning thrown in there XD)**

Chapter 35

Hermione was exhausted but knew she had to get ready fast to get to Severus' room on time. They'd had a practical today and most of the kids had been confused, (as predicted by Severus), about why they were doing the practical from the last topic when they'd already started the new topic. They'd had to explain twice to the entire class and then explain individually to those who still didn't understand it. She'd felt like pulling her own hair out by the end of it and Severus had lost his patience and shouted a few times. But in the end they all got it and got on with their work. For that Hermione was grateful, if she'd had to deal with that any longer she might've cried from sheer frustration. Hermione grabbed a maroon skater dress out of her drawer and pulled it on with a pair of black leggings and a black shrug. For her hair, Hermione tied her hair into a bun and put in a black headband. Putting her wand, a quill and some parchment into her bag, she set off to Severus' room.

* * *

Severus didn't have long to wait for Hermione to turn up. She was right on time as was expected. She set down her bag and pulled out parchment and a quill from within its depths. He stopped himself from snorting at her preparedness and schooled his expression into a neutral one. As she straightened back up he willed himself to not stare. A quick glance showed him that she was as breathtakingly beautiful as usual. Why did he have to like someone so out of his league? He inwardly rolled his eyes at himself. _Nothing was ever going to happen. You know that, the plan was to admire from afar. Like you've always done._ He stopped his own train of thought by saying, "Where do you want to start?" Hermione smiled at him and he tried to compose himself, _just occlude._ He brought up his occlumency shields up to stop himself from blushing as Hermione spoke.

"How about tea? Might as well start with something familiar." Their visits to each other's rooms had become more frequent. They had visited each other nearly every day since the first time they'd tried it out. Yesterday was the exception with the order meeting. It made him want to smile that she brought it up. _Occlude harder._

"Of course," He said, standing up to heat up the kettle and prepare the tea.

* * *

Severus had a miniature kitchen in his room; in her second visit he had explained it. "If I'm late and can't be bothered waiting for the house elves to make something- you know how they like to go all out on everything- then I can rustle something up quickly."

She watched as he plucked two teabags from a container on the worktop. "Two sugars." She called out from where she was sat.

"Any milk?" He asked.

"No thanks," She smiled at how quickly he made them. _He clearly makes a lot of tea._ He set the cups down on the table and started speaking.

"Clearly we're going to be doing this on weekends. We can't expect much from the first four visits, as she'll be supervised. But after the first two weeks pass we'll really get started. How are you with glamour charms?" He asked.

"I'm good but I'm better at disillusionment charms." She answered.

"You can't always rely on disillusionment charms. What if you're in a quiet place and she hears you? It's better if you're visible, but disguised."

"Well can we practice then? I can only change my eye colour and hair colour and I can only hold that for half an hour." She remembered when Flitwick had set homework for the class to see who could hold up their charm the longest. Hermione won, but she still wasn't happy with her performance. She could have done so much better with a little more practice. But she had forgotten to practice it because they'd started a new topic. Well her forgetfulness was back to bite her in the backside because Severus was now looking at her with his eyebrows raised. He seemed to be having trouble stopping himself from making a snide remark, judging by him biting his lip. After what felt like forever, he finally spoke.

"Let's practice."

* * *

He was surprised when Hermione told him she couldn't pull off glamour charms but after practicing for a little bit she quickly got the hang of it. That didn't surprise him. By the end of it she had managed to change her eye colour, nose shape, hair colour, mouth shape and hair type. He didn't bother testing her on how long she could keep them up because she had informed him, "I can feel the strength of it. I can tell it will be fine."

* * *

After they had gone over glamour charms, Severus suggested that they plan what they were going to do on the actual days. He had informed her that he knew the alleys of Hogsmeade well, (she didn't really want to know why), and that if Umbridge went down one he could easily find another way to her. So it was planned that Hermione was going to directly follow Umbridge some of the time and when he wasn't following Umbridge directly Severus would keep an eye on them through the alleys. She felt a little insulted that he felt he needed to keep an eye on her, like she was a child, but she brushed it aside. _There's no need for picking at little things like that._ But something else had been bothering her though, "What if Umbridge sees us together?"

"She won't. When will she see us together except from when we're travelling to Hogsmeade? Once our glamour's are on, we won't be communicating. I will be keeping an eye on you but we aren't going to stop and talk, we'd end up losing her." Hermione nodded, relieved that they had cleared that up. Everything was set. Once Umbridge wasn't supervised they would follow her to wherever she went. Severus was going to be Toby, (a play on his middle name), and was going to revert between his original looks and his glamour. He was going to change into a dark brown haired, brown eyed, rather brutish looking man. He wasn't going to change his looks to anything other than those two so Hermione would be able to see him and not get confused by all the different looks. She was going to change into a black haired, brown eyed, exotic looking woman. Severus had been teaching her how to transfigure her clothes into rather skimpy ones, guiding her to the perfect look that was going to let her 'blend right in'. The alleys weren't a place that the kids were allowed to go. Although this was their time away from school, the teachers still had to keep an eye on them and supervise them. Now Hermione knew why. She had been expecting something like this, but in a quiet village near a school. She shook her head. "What's wrong?" Severus asked, startling her.

"Just thinking about what might happen if a man tries to pick me up." Severus' jaw tightened a fraction.

"Then we have to focus on making you look a bit less attractive." Hermione's eyes went wide. "An exotic looking woman would be the first pick." She should have known. "Make your complexion a bit paler and make your hair stringy."

* * *

"We'll have to focus on making you less attractive." Hermione's eyes went wide. _You absolute fucking dolt!_ He managed to cover up his slip up successfully by occluding even harder and focusing on keeping his voice steady. But he couldn't help but think he saw a look of disappointment flash across Hermione's face.

They had almost finished going over the plan a second time when Hermione grimaced. "Is something up?" He asked.

"Just this chair. It's a bit hard." She answered, shifting in her seat. He stood up.

"Sit on my bed then." It took him a moment to register what he had said. But Hermione didn't seem to think of it like that and happily settled herself on the four poster.

"Come, sit. We can't go over the plan on opposite sides of the room." She said, waving him over. He took a deep breath and went over.

* * *

Hermione tried her hardest to stay calm when Severus asked her to sit on his bed. _He's just being hospitable. Calm down._ As soon as she'd sat down she had asked him to join her. She felt bad for invading his personal space and besides, she wanted to be on the same bed as him. _Wow you sound creepy._ Severus didn't seem to give the offer a second thought and joined her.

They had now finished going over the plan and were just talking about work, home and their interests. Neither of them noticed the time passing or the weight on their eyes and they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter; it is a bit of a filler before we get to the actual undercover bits but I still hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**So now we have Hogsmeade weekends and Severus and Hermione going undercover! But where did we leave off?**

Chapter 36

Hermione's eyes slowly opened. She felt like she was sleeping in a cloud. _When did my bed get this comfortable?_ She turned around to find herself face to face with Severus. She clapped her hand over her mouth to stop a scream but her gasp still escaped. Hermione looked closer and saw Severus starting to stir. She shut her eyes quickly, knowing it might be awkward for him. Watching out of half-closed eyes she saw Severus sit up and stretch. He turned to look her way and a look of disbelief came across his face.

* * *

Severus sat up and stretched and as his eyes came into focus he turned to look to his side. He felt a look of disbelief making its way on to his face. They must have fallen asleep whist planning. He cocked his head to the side, thinking about what to do. He clambered out of his bed slowly, (so as not to wake Hermione), and sorted the bedsheets on his side. He rearranged the blankets on Hermione's side too and tucked an errant curl behind her ear.

The first weekend:

Saturday: They made their way down to Hogsmeade in silence, Minerva trying to fill in the gaps with some cheerful chatter. Hermione had gone quite pale and Severus tried to reassure her with a reminder of her own words, "It's just gathering stuff. And you won't even be recognisable." He had kept his voice quiet and his words vague deliberately. If anyone had heard him Umbridge could have easily figured out what they were talking about. They went into The Three Broomsticks, (Pomona, Neville, Poppy, Filius, Hermione, Minerva and himself). A group of teachers, there was nothing suspicious about that. Umbridge was sat at another table, seeming to want to frustrate the professor supervising her, (Septima Vector), by sitting away from everyone else.

* * *

Later on in the day Hermione watched as Umbridge made her way over to a newspaper stand. The front covers were mostly covered in large pictures of Kingsley's face. He looked rather menacing. A pair of wizards walking past were talking to each other; Hermione only heard part of their conversation. "Always thought he was a nice man." One of them muttered.

"It was probably the fame that got to his head. It's happened enough times." The other said. Hermione gritted her teeth; Umbridge seemed to be smiling when she looked at the headlines. It was hard for her to keep her mouth shut when she knew that Kingsley's behaviour had something to do with Umbridge. Someone spoke in her ear.

"Keep calm. We need to gather evidence, not blow our cover on the first day." It was Severus.

"How? When I know that she had something to do with all this drama surrounding Kingsley." She growled.

"I've gotten a picture of her smiling at the headlines. It's not much, but it's probably the most we're going to get whilst she's supervised." Hermione took a deep breath and turned to face Severus.

* * *

"I can't let my emotions get in the way of an assignment. Thanks Severus." She said with a smile. The use of his name and her smile nearly knocked him out of focus. Nearly. He had to take his own advice and not let his emotions get in the way.

* * *

Sunday: Severus had been right. The picture was the only evidence they had gotten the day before. She was hoping to get something more substantial but it was to be expected really. She couldn't let her hopes get too high. Today she made her way down to Hogsmeade a lot more confidently, talking with students and other staff. She noticed little movements from the corner of her eye and realised that Severus was taking pictures of something. Slowing her steps down, she let herself fall into pace with the potions master. "Lower the camera a little and slow down your movements." She muttered from the corner of her mouth. A flash of what seemed like annoyance went across Severus' face but he did as she asked. "Sorry I could just see it from the corner of my eyes. If I could see it…" She let the end of her sentence trail off, knowing that he could fill in the gaps easily, _Umbridge could see it._ "What were you taking them of anyway?" She asked as they took a table at The Three Broomsticks. It was always noisy here, always some hustle and bustle. It made being overheard nearly impossible.

* * *

Severus was still a little annoyed that she had told him what to do. But he knew he was being petty. They had more important things to worry about. "When you were laughing and talking to Minerva, I caught Umbridge throwing dirty looks your way. I got it on camera; she seemed to be too preoccupied with you to notice what I was doing." Hermione looked a little flustered. "Don't worry about it. We know she might still be keeping a grudge, but she wouldn't dare harm anyone while she's being so closely supervised."

"She harmed Kingsley." Hermione said looking into his eyes. He didn't know how to respond to that, and he didn't like to make weak arguments so he let her words hang in the air whilst he took a sip of firewhisky.

"Let's go see where she's going." He said, nodding towards Umbridge who was leaving the pub. Hagrid was following right behind her. Hermione nodded and swallowed the rest of her red currant rum.

"Let's go."

Umbridge had visited the newsstands again, looking rather disappointed that the same headlines were there. It had only been a day; there wouldn't have been much time to change. He watched as she headed into the bathroom. Hagrid didn't follow her. "I'm going in." Hermione whispered. He caught her arm just as she set off.

"What are you thinking?" He hissed.

"I'll put up a glamour, think of this as a test run. I'm in a Hogsmeade public toilet, not a dark back alley." She whispered. He relented, knowing that she could always lock herself in a toilet stall to hide her face.

"Fine. But hurry."

* * *

She entered the bathroom to hear someone humming from one of the stalls. She quickly went into the next one and put up her glamour. There was no one else in the bathroom. The humming had to be coming from Umbridge. She felt a slight tingle on the edge of her nose as she enlarged it and turned her hair black. She also changed her mouth shape and chin shape. Pulling a small mirror out of the pocket in her robes she gave herself a quick once over. She wasn't recognisable. A straight black haired, large nosed witch with full lips and a small chin. The humming grew louder and as she flipped on the mini recorder she had with her. She caught a few words. "Silly witches hmmmmm silly kid's hmmmm silly… hmmm mess hmmm with me." Hermione felt the hairs on her arms stand up as she heard the toilet flushing. It was incredibly disconcerting for Hermione to know that the witch that had made her fifth year a nightmare and had tortured her best friend was on the other side of the door. She kept her breath held and gripped her wand. As the door opened and closed she leaned her head on the stall wall in relief. She kept her glamour on as she left the toilets.

Severus recognised her glamour immediately and turned to walk into The Three Broomsticks before she could catch up to him. As soon as she entered, she made her way to the bathrooms there and removed her glamour. Once she got back out she joined Severus and Minerva at their table and said, "I got a recording." Severus' eyebrows rose but he didn't comment. She realised why, when Hagrid passed behind him with Umbridge in tow.

"We'll see it tonight." He said. Although they'd had their emergency meeting on Wednesday they were still having their usual one on the weekend. Hermione couldn't wait to show the recording.

Hermione pulled on a blue bodycon midi dress. She'd always liked this dress. The main reason she'd bought it at the time was because of the silvery crocheted neck. It was still her favourite part of it. She wanted to look presentable today. Most of the attention would be on her, Severus, Neville and Luna. Straightening her hair and using a liberal amount of Sleekeazy she found herself to be ready.

* * *

Severus wore the same loose shirt and chinos. He tied his hair into a topknot once more and darkened his light stubble. Nymphadora had told him he looked good in the last meeting. As had Minerva. He wanted to look presentable if there was going to be a lot of attention on him tonight.

Severus left his room and heard a soft voice call to him. He turned surprised to find Hermione there. "Why don't we go together?" She asked. He nodded and they walked up the stairs together, his hand at the small of her back. Looking at her from the corner of his eyes he saw her soft hair swaying slightly. She had somehow managed to tame it. As for what she was wearing. It looked… sexy. _You haven't noticed before?_ He thought to himself sarcastically. He let his hand slowly slide around her waist as they walked up the stairs. She seemed to lean into his touch, the opposite of what he'd expected.

* * *

When she saw Severus at the bottom of the corridor she'd had to suppress a groan. The man had to be deliberately torturing her. He was wearing the same outfit as last time, and it looked just as good as it had before, maybe even better. She knew that she didn't look like a troll so she didn't mind him seeing her and walking with him. Heck, even if she'd looked like one she'd still want to walk with him. Just to get a closer look. She called out to him hoping that he'd stop for her to catch up and he did.

Now they were walking up the stairs together and she felt his arm sliding round her waist. She knew it was probably an accident, that he probably hadn't noticed but it still gave her a thrill to be this close to him. His arm remained there as they left the castle. Once they were outside the bounds that stopped them from apparating Severus asked, "Ready?" And she nodded. They apparated a short distance away from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Hermione grimaced as she felt the familiar feeling of nausea settling in. Severus seemed to notice something was up and he guided her to a bench. "What's up?" He asked.

"I just get a little nauseous after side along apparation." She answered, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. Severus swooped into action and produced two vials of something. Probably sickness potions. She chuckled, "How are you always so prepared?"

He gave her a smirk that would probably have knocked her off of her feet had she been standing up. "I'm a potions teacher, which means I'm around a bunch of children all day."

"Children make you sick?" She laughed (bad idea).

He snorted, "Well yes, but the potions are for the students, I don't want them throwing up on my robes or in my classroom."

"But these are your casual clothes." She said, her brows furrowed.

"It never hurts to be prepared." He said with a shrug.

"You could've said that in the first place." He sat down beside her and handed her the first vial.

"This one is for the sickness." He said. She downed it in one and shuddered at the unpleasant taste. He handed her the second vial, "This one's for the taste." The second one was indeed a lot more pleasant, it tasted like mint.

"Thank you," she said gratefully and made to stand up. Severus grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere. "We need to go." She said.

"Slow down a bit. I still don't want you walking too fast. I don't have anything for dizziness."

* * *

Severus was worried, she'd been on the verge of throwing up and now she wanted to get going again. The dizziness that came along with apparation sickness had its own potion but Severus didn't have it on his person. He stood up to walk with Hermione but had to stop himself from gasping when she put his arm around her and leant into him. "Well we can walk fast if you support me." She said. That was reasonable.

"Fine, but we're going through the front. The back has an awful smelling bin. Wouldn't want you to start feeling sick again." He said. She nodded and they made their way down the deserted street to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

* * *

Hermione knew it was a risk to put Severus' arm around herself. It was a bold move and she'd half expected him to push her away. Well, she had just been ill. Pushing her away would have made her feel worse. Of course Severus wasn't going to. As they entered the front of the shop they couldn't hear a sound. As they got closer to the doors at the back of the store they could hear a low murmur. She pushed open the doors and slipped in with Severus, his arm still around her. A flash nearly blinded her as she walked in. She heard a curse from Severus. It was Colin Creevey. The excitable little first year he was when she first met him was gone now. But his passion for photography was not. He chattered excitedly, (okay maybe he was still excitable), it was only his fourth order meeting. He seemed to want to get a picture of every single order member. Severus took his arm away from her waist and they split ways to talk to different people.

* * *

Severus went to talk to Pomona but not before he'd noticed the absence of Kingsley. Luna and Neville were talking with Fred and George Weasley and Hermione was with Ginny Weasley. Minerva was talking to Potter and Ronald Weasley. There were a number of people there, a flash from Colin Creevey's camera alerting them to whenever someone new arrived. All he really wanted to do was put his arm back round Hermione.

* * *

Hermione had made her way over to Ginny immediately. "Hiya Gin." She said.

"Hi! You look so pretty!" Ginny exclaimed.

Hermione blushed, "Thanks, how long have you been here?"

"Just five minutes or so. I was just talking to Neville and Luna and they said that they've made a lot of progress."

Hermione chuckled, "Neville doesn't seem to stutter so much around Luna anymore. It's nice to see him have some confidence."

Ginny leaned in and whispered, "He told me he's planning on asking her out."

* * *

**We ended on a happy note there! Hopefully Luna accepts Neville's offer, (fingers crossed). Hope you enjoyed!**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**The last chapter was longer than my usual chapters so I hope you enjoyed it! We've got the rest of the order meeting now!**

Chapter 37

Everyone had settled into their seats, ready to begin the meeting. There was an air of expectancy all around the table. It excited her; Minerva stood up to begin the meeting like she always did. "Today we're here to continue on from the last meeting. Severus and Hermione are up first. Then we'll be moving on to Neville and Luna." She took a seat and Hermione realised she was supposed to get up.

* * *

_Shit, I didn't think of what to say!_ Severus stood and watched as Hermione did the same. She didn't look like she was about to say anything any time soon so he cleared his throat. "At the last meeting we discussed that myself and Miss Granger would be going undercover to find evidence against Dolores Umbridge. This first weekend she was supervised and she will also be supervised next week. After that she is free to go wherever she wishes, without supervision on Hogsmeade weekends. We do have some evidence, but we will have more when that time comes." He didn't really know what to say next so he looked to Hermione. As if they had practiced, she pulled out the photographs of Umbridge.

"This picture here," Hermione said and slid the image of Umbridge smiling at the newsstand into the middle of the table. "Is from yesterday. As you can see, she is smiling at the headlines of Kingsley's strange behaviour. It isn't much, but it's all we got from that day. The next picture," she carried on sliding the second picture into the middle of the table, "Is one of Umbridge scowling at me. This could be taken as a mere coincidence. But we all know that she probably holds a grudge against me, Harry and Ron for leading her into the forest and getting her into Azkaban. Again it's not much but its stronger evidence than the last picture." He watched as Hermione pulled the recorder out of her pocket and pressed play. There wasn't a sound as everyone strained to hear what was being said.

"Silly witches hmmmmm silly kid's hmmmm silly… hmmm mess hmmm with me." The recording sounded echoey which added to the eeriness of it. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ronald Weasley shudder and Potter make a pained sort of face. The recording cut off and Molly Weasley asked:

"Where was this recorded?"

Hermione replied, "A public toilet in Hogsmeade. Just near the newsstand in the first picture, that's why it sounds all echoey."

"You were by yourself in there?" Asked Ronald Weasley incredulously. He saw a flash of annoyance pass across Hermione's face.

"Yes of course. Severus wasn't going to accompany me to a female toilet." She said, sounding insulted. He quieted back down and Hermione continued, "I used a glamour charm anyway, even if she saw me I'd be unrecognisable."

"Well that's all we have for now. We hope to have some more evidence by the next meeting." Said Severus, successfully ending their portion. Neville and Luna stood up as Severus and Hermione sat down.

* * *

Hermione watched as Neville pulled out a carefully sealed jar with a little pile of pinkish powder at the bottom. "Mine and Luna's job was to find out what Umbridge gave to Kingsley and find an antidote to it. This," He said, pointing to the jar, "Is what she used. We got a sample of this right after the last meeting and went to Luna's to analyse it." Luna took the jar from him and placed it on the table, looking at it with interested eyes.

"We found out it was a rare powder called, puluerem instabilitatem." Said Luna softly. Hermione looked around the table to see if anyone knew what it was and her eyes stopped at Severus whose eyes were wide. "It is more commonly known, at least in the potions industry, as pi." Luna continued, looking directly at Severus. She had also noticed his reaction. "Do you know about this?" She asked.

Severus nodded and said quietly, "The effects of the powder are to make the user unstable and unpredictable. It's incredibly difficult to attain. Umbridge must have gotten it whilst she was in her position of power. I have done a little research into the powder in the past but I never got back to it. I've heard there is a cure, but you have to ask around. But be clever about the way you're asking." He warned, "You don't just go around asking about this powder. It's dangerous and rare, which will make you memorable to whoever you ask about it."

* * *

Severus had indeed known about the powder. He had researched it in one of his holidays but had never got back round to it because his holidays had finished. His teaching kept him busy, and though that was a good thing most of the time, it got in the way when he wanted to do side research. Sometimes he contemplated quitting but he knew that he couldn't leave the castle. Leaving the castle meant finding another job and spending more time at his house on Spinners End. He only stayed there if it was necessary; there were too many bad memories in that place for him to ever call it a home. Although Hogwarts hadn't been entirely pleasant, it was the one place he had been accepted for being a wizard. He wasn't a freak there. His attention was brought back to the present when a flash nearly blinded him. Again. A quick voice made a suggestion, "I want to show everyone my pictures, so we can end on a happy note. Can I?" He asked turning to Minerva. She nodded, smiling kindly at the young man and he jumped straight into action. A quick movement saw the images being cast from the camera onto the wall. The first picture was of Nymphadora entering through the floo. It was quite dramatic, the green flames flickering around her bright pink hair.

* * *

Hermione watched as the second picture came up. This one was of Lupin entering the same way as Tonks, but instead of looking vibrant and dramatic it looked dark and mysterious, the flickering flames casting shadows on one side of his face. The one after was of Lupin and Tonks laughing together over something. Tonks looked at the pictures happily from where she was sat, and Lupin sat blushing. The next picture was of Minerva entering through the front, looking powerful and stern. The pictures were stunning; as each one went by she looked at the person it was of. The pictures seemed to capture everyone's personalities. She looked as pictures of Harry, Ron, Ginny, Sirius and Regulus went past. The next picture came up and Hermione held back a gasp. It was stunning. It was a picture of her entering with Severus. They looked like a celebrity couple. _A couple._ She caught Ginny's eyes and the redhead wiggled her eyebrows at her. She held back a laugh but couldn't stop the blush that spread across her cheeks. She didn't pay attention to the rest of the pictures, her mind stuck on hers. Why did she have to like a man that wasn't going to return her feelings?


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**This story is also on Fanfiction.net; I have the same username :)**

**We're skipping the next weekend because Severus and Hermione don't find much evidence. So now Umbridge isn't supervised… This can't be good. ;)**

Chapter 38

Hermione walked down to Hogsmeade. Today she was supervising the end of the line so Umbridge probably wouldn't have a chance to look her way. Well, she had every opportunity now considering she wasn't supervised but Hermione doubted she would. Not in front of everyone anyway. The last week was rather disappointing, the only evidence they had gotten was of Umbridge smirking at headlines again. There was a lot of pressure being put on Kingsley now to resign. He hadn't attacked anyone else since the last reports and Hermione hoped it would stay that way. As soon as they entered the village, everyone went their own ways. Severus pulled Hermione into a side street near the one they had just seen Umbridge enter and put a glamour charm on himself. Hermione did the same and they both transfigured their clothes. It was her turn first to follow Umbridge.

* * *

Severus pulled Hermione through a couple of dark alleys and halted suddenly as he saw a flash of pink. He nodded towards where he had just seen Umbridge and said, "Stay safe." Hermione went on her way without a second glance. There was no time for him to dawdle though. He had to keep an eye on Hermione.

* * *

Hermione followed Umbridge from a little distance away seeing an occasional glance of Severus. Well, Toby. She tried not to make a face as an uncomfortably cold draught swirled around her bare legs. The cut off shorts were tatty and uncomfortable. Not to mention impractical. What if she fell? She'd take the hit straight to the knee. The crop top she was wearing was a washed out grey colour with a yellowy stain on the front of it. Gosh if any of her friends saw her… well they wouldn't would they? She wasn't her. She was, (she hadn't thought of a name), a pale faced, stringy haired, large nosed woman. She wasn't recognisable as Hermione. As Umbridge turned a corner she was grabbed by Severus, (Toby). "It's my turn now. Put on a disillusionment charm and we'll get going. Quick." He whispered. She hastily did as he asked.

* * *

Severus walked briskly down the alley, slowing down when he reached the corner Umbridge had turned. He spotted her further down the alley amongst a small crowd of people. She appeared to be making her way through it. He reached the crowd who were passing money to each other, (there must have been a fight), and pushed his way through. He kept on her tail until they reached a grimy looking pub. All of a sudden she turned around, her eyes keen. "Yes?" She asked. Just her voice irritated him.

He kept an uninterested look on his face as he said, "What?" Playing dumb. She frowned at him taking a step closer.

* * *

Hermione knew the minute Umbridge turned around that she had to do something. She couldn't let their cover be blown. Slowly and sneakily, she tiptoed past Umbridge, holding her breath as she did so. Once she got to the open pub door, she took off her disillusionment charm and pretended she had just stepped out of the door. "Toby," she said making her voice deep and husky. "There you are." Umbridge and Severus turned to look at her and she concentrated on keeping her composure and her glamour charm up. Severus seemed to realise what she was doing and walked past Umbridge to her. Hermione mustered up her courage and wrapped her arms round Severus' neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. After they parted Hermione whispered, (and made sure it was loud enough for Umbridge to hear), "Forget the pub. Let's go straight to yours."

* * *

He apparated them away to another dark alley and started transforming back into himself. _Stay calm. She just did it for the mission._ He struggled to stay calm as he transfigured his shoes back into his usual dress shoes. He looked up at Hermione quickly handing her a vial, (a combination of sickness and glamour removal potion). "We're near the main street so you can bring down your charms." She did as he asked and transfigured her clothes back into her teaching robes. He took a quick look around and exited the alley, Hermione close behind.

* * *

"I'm sorry." She said. He turned around and looked at her. He seemed confused.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. I should've given you a warning. You would have figured out a way for us to keep a watch on Umbridge."

"It's fine, there's nothing you could do. You saved us from being caught and if you'd have given me a warning it would've been obvious that we weren't a couple. You did well under the circumstances." He said. Her shoulders sagged in relief. Though she had enjoyed the kiss, she was worried that Severus would have been angry about it. But he understood that the situation called for sudden action and that was the first thing she had thought of.

"Shall we go and see if the others are at The Three Broomsticks?" She offered. "I need something to wash down the taste." He nodded and they made their way to the pub in silence.

They were now back in the castle. Hermione had invited Severus to her room so they could practice glamour charms again. They were going to need different looks now that Umbridge had seen them. She took off her teaching robes and pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a black top and waited for Severus to arrive.

When he arrived they immediately got on with their work. In the midst of their planning they stopped to practice their glamour charms. Severus' look of concentration as he helped her practice kept drawing her attention. His head was tilted slightly to the side and his lips were parted just a little bit. The temptation was just too great for Hermione. She took one step closer to Severus and kissed him once more.

* * *

**Their first kiss... and their second ;) Sorry for cutting it off right there, but I hope you enjoyed! :)**

**A big thank you to megzela on Fanfiction.net who gave me the idea of using the vial as something to do with removing the glamour in her review of this chapter!**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Another thank you from me to you guys. I really didn't expect such a response for my first fic posted on this website. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the support, it really means a lot :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 39

His eyes widened in shock but quickly closed as the kiss deepened. His occlumency shields came crashing down; his hands found her hair and pulled her closer. A moan escaped her lips and with a start Severus realised what he was doing. He pulled away panting. Hermione looked hurt and he knew that he had to be honest. "We can't let our emotions get in the way."

She looked him in the eyes and repeated, "We can't let our emotions get in the way."

* * *

It was strange, one minute they were kissing and the next they had pulled apart and had agreed to lock away their feelings. Hermione respected that he wanted to have his full attention on the mission but couldn't help but feel a tad bit insulted. She had just kissed this man and he'd pulled away so easily. _Don't let your emotions get in the way._

* * *

Now it was the next day and they were in Hogsmeade. They had transfigured their clothes and put on their glamour's. Severus was up first. Yesterday's incident kept replaying itself in his mind and he struggled to keep his focus. _Don't let your emotions get in the way._ But as much as he repeated the words to himself he couldn't help but wonder if Hermione thought he had pushed her away because he didn't like her. He had clearly said _"we"_ and _"our"._ The back alleys were a lot busier than the day before so they managed to make their way through without being noticed. They followed Umbridge to the same grimy pub and went through the open doorway. The scent of cigarette smoke hit him; though it was strong inside the alleys it was _a lot_ stronger in here. He went straight to the bar and said in a practiced, scratchy voice, "Beer." He took a seat and waited to be served. Umbridge was seated next to him, her sickeningly strong floral perfume making its way up his nose. He listened intently when she began speaking to the man at the counter.

"I want a sober up potion and a hangover potion immediately after this." She said primly. _What would she need those for? Surely she wasn't planning on getting drunk?_ His beer was slid in front of him but he ignored it, handing the cash over and pretending to be deep in thought about something. From the corner of his eye he saw a pint of beer being handed to Umbridge. _Wouldn't have pegged her to be the beer type,_ he thought to himself amusedly. She took big gulps and soon it was finished. "Another," she said panting. At the corners of her mouth he could see droplets of the beer. It disgusted him. As if she had read his thoughts Umbridge daintily wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. _What a contrast._

* * *

Hermione had been standing uncomfortably for the past five minutes. She needed to sit down, but if Severus' stool was anything to go by, they were creaky and she'd be caught in no time. She watched as Umbridge drained the last drop of her third pint and wrinkled her nose. The woman was truly foul. Umbridge put her head in her hands and said something that Severus heard, but not her.

* * *

Umbridge put her head in her hands and muttered, "Stupid kids all day. No discipline." Severus tried not to make himself be obvious as he listened harder. She seemed to be singing, (at least he thought so, it sounded more like croaking), to herself, (he hadn't noticed her do that before. It must have been a habit she'd picked up in Azkaban). "I will take the top spot. I am doing well so far. Just a few more steps to go now. Just be careful not to get caught." She hit the table and the man at the counter hastily passed her two vials. Severus checked his watch and cursed under his breath. They were running late. They'd have to wait for Umbridge to leave first though. Their cover couldn't be blown now.

* * *

Hermione was up now. She didn't expect to find any evidence but she had to keep hope. She had seen Severus just a few seconds ago passing through a nearby alley. She watched as Umbridge turned the corner and hastened her pace, when someone suddenly grabbed and pulled her into a side alley. She struggled against the iron like grip that was holding her and tried to scream. There was a hand over her mouth too. She felt the tears welling up and shook her head furiously. Well at least she tried to. Her wand was in her pocket but her arms were restrained. Uncomfortably hot breath brushed her neck and prickly hairs scratched her cheeks as a gravelly, confused voice spoke. "Why are you struggling? This is your work, I'm doing you a favour." The tears spilled over and she kept on struggling. The man spoke again to someone she couldn't see. "What are you starin- OW!" He dropped to the ground as Hermione's non-verbal curse hit him at the same time a spoken one did. She looked up to find a rather brutish looking man, looking at her with concern. Then it registered. It was Severus. Not caring what he thought, she flung herself into his arms and held tightly. He lifted her up like she was a feather and murmured soothing words in her ear.

She opened her eyes, looking around blearily. She was in the hospital wing but how had she gotten there? She turned her head to the side and saw a worried looking Severus talking to Madame Pomfrey. "Severus, I can't see if anything is wrong with her until she wakes up. I've given her something for the shock and a sleeping potion so she can rest. I'll assess her for injuries when she wakes up."

"Ungh," She had attempted to call Severus but the sleeping potion had made that a little difficult as she was still incredibly drowsy. Madame Pomfrey turned in surprise and rushed over to her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. Hermione tried to push past the feeling of drowsiness to answer.

"Dwowsy." Madame Pomfrey chuckled, helping her sit up and handing her a glass of water. The cold water was invigorating and she soon felt awake and refreshed. "What time is it?"

"Half past five." Severus answered.

"We have to go at half seven," She said. Madame Pomfrey frowned.

"We can't let you go just yet. We have to give you a check over." None of them said the words order meeting but Hermione knew that they knew what she was talking about.

"I have to! We've gotten some new stuff and I want to see if N- those guys have made any progress too!" She insisted. "Clearly I'm fine, since I can sit up and argue. Nothing happened, I'm fine."

Severus frowned, "Poppy said she needs to give you a check over. I wouldn't dismiss what a nurse is saying." Hermione frowned.

"I wasn't dismissing what she was saying. A check-up doesn't take two hours though!"

She heard what sounded like a muttered, "So insolent." From Severus and frowned. She was going to that meeting.


	40. Chapter 40

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 40

Two hours later she was smiling smugly next to a grumpy looking Severus. The meeting had just begun and they were up first. They showed pictures of Umbridge in the alleys and in the pub. Then Severus played the recording of Umbridge singing. When it finished Minerva spoke. "I will take the top spot… She's talking about Kingsley's job isn't she? It makes sense. Her plan is doing well so far because there are calls for Kingsley to resign. She's only got a few more steps to go because Kingsley is nearly at the point of being forced to resign. She has to be careful because if she's caught then she'll get sent back to Azkaban." After she finished musing Minerva looked up at the stunned faces of the others. "That's it. She wants to be minister of magic."

After an excited discussion between everyone, Neville and Luna stood up. "We're going to cut straight to the important bits. We found the antidote. It required a bit of undercover work but we got it done." Neville said. "We have it with us now. All we need to do is get it to Kingsley."

Severus spoke, "That isn't going to be easy. You know the way he's been acting towards everyone right now."

It was Mr Weasley that came up with the solution. "I could give it to his assistant, she trusts me as I'm deputy. She gets him his dinner every day; we could put it in his food or drink."

"Then can you, Neville and Luna plan this one?" Minerva asked. The three of them nodded and everyone gave a few suggestions to them.

"Severus and Hermione." Minerva said turning to them. Hermione sat up a little bit straighter, awaiting her instructions. "You don't need to go undercover anymore. However once we get the antidote to Kingsley, you will need to provide your evidence to the wizengamot. I expect that your evidence as well as yourselves will be closely followed by the media. Look out for each other if you will." Hermione knew that she'd do her best to look out for a fellow order member. She would definitely take any chance to be with Severus as she needed to talk to him about their kiss. It had been bothering her that they had just completely ignored it and not acknowledged it after it had happened. She knew it might be uncomfortable for them both but she needed to know where they stood.

Everyone stood up as the meeting ended and began talking amongst themselves. Hermione watched as two people in a row shook Neville's hand. She went over to Ginny to find out what was up. "Hiya Ginny," she greeted her friend warmly.

"Hiya Hermione!"

"Do you know why people are shaking Neville's hand?" She asked.

"He asked Luna out and she said yes. I asked him how it went just before the meeting started." Ginny laughed and said, "Harry, Ron, Fred and George were giving him tips." She'd noticed that in some of the earlier meetings. Hermione yawned and with a start noticed the time.

"It's half nine! Sorry Gin I have to go! I need to help Snape with his marking." She gave Ginny a quick hug and left with a wave.

* * *

Once he was back at Hogwarts he went straight down to his classroom. He had to get his marking done and he hoped Hermione wouldn't be late. Their part in the investigation was done; all that remained for them to do was to give their evidence. That wouldn't happen until Kingsley was given the antidote. Until then though, he wouldn't have any missions to worry about. He heard the door opening and he sat up straight. He had gotten two papers done but another pair of hands would be a big help. Hermione entered his classroom and walked right up to him. They hadn't discussed their kiss and he wasn't about to push it. He had been lucky to get what he had. Hermione not bringing it up was clear proof of that. She sat down next to him and picked a paper up from the pile. They worked diligently and in silence.

* * *

After ten minutes of steadily working in silence Hermione decided that now was the time she should ask. She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Severus." He looked up from the paper he was marking and Hermione clutched the arm of the chair she was sitting on, her knuckles white. She kept her face impassive and said, "I think we need to talk about something."

"What is that?" He asked. _Oh for goodness sake. He's pretending not to know what I'm talking about._ She took a discrete deep breath and answered.

"Our kiss." He looked shocked that she had addressed it so directly and she took advantage of the situation. "You haven't acknowledged it since it happened. I know that we agreed to not let our emotions get in the way but we aren't going undercover and there's no mission that we're going to be distracted from." He seemed to be studying her carefully.

"What are you suggesting?" He asked warily. Hermione was getting frustrated, why did he have to be so bloody guarded? Why didn't he just tell her straight to her face that he wanted or didn't want to be with her?

"I'm saying," She said slowly, trying to calm her nerves. "That I want to know if you'd… be interested- in trying again?"

"Trying what again?" He asked cautiously. Hermione couldn't take it anymore and stood up out of her chair. He stayed seated, looking at her curiously. She took a step closer to his chair and leant over him, one hand on each armrest.

"This," she whispered, dipping her head lower and she captured his lips for the third time. He stood slowly, careful not to break the kiss and wrapped his arm around her waist. The other arm lifted up and his fingers brushed gently against her jawline.

* * *

He tried not to tense up when he felt Hermione's hand in his hair. He shifted so that she was leaning against his desk and used the hand that was tracing her jaw to steady himself. They finally broke apart and Severus stood back. He saw a flash of disappointment in Hermione's eyes but it was quickly replaced by the blush that overtook her cheeks when he gazed at her intently. She truly was beautiful. What did she see in him? At that moment he didn't really care. All he knew was that she clearly wanted him. And he wanted her. She was still leaning against his desk, panting heavily. He took a step closer and held her chin, tilting it so she had to look him in the eyes. The intensity there shocked him, but he kept his composure. He let his other hand wander, first brushing against her lower back and then sliding lower. Her eyes widened when it reached her buttocks but he didn't pause.

* * *

She was surprised that he didn't stop at her buttocks and she tried to keep herself steady as his hand slid lower. It reached the hem of her dress and he lifted it slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. She felt a strange kind of trust with him. Once her legs were completely bare she felt the cold of the dungeons properly. "Are you sure?" He asked, he seemed conflicted and she didn't answer. Instead she grabbed his hand and led it up her leg. She could see that he knew where this was going and she gained more confidence. She brought his hand to her underwear and rubbed it against herself. She let go as Severus begun doing it himself and fought to stop her head falling back in pleasure. She wanted to maintain this eye contact. He lifted her up so she sat on the desk and she couldn't contain the gasp that came forth when her underwear was torn from her. She realised that Severus was still fully clothed. Well, that problem was going to be remedied rather quickly. Once she had rid him of his trousers and underwear she tried not to stare at his impressive length. _Shirt Hermione. His shirt._ She made quick work of his buttons and he pulled it off moving to stand between her legs and kissing her again. He pulled her head back as he deepened the kiss. There was no warning when he entered her. It was one sudden thrust that nearly made Hermione lose control of her senses. He pulled out and slammed in again. She whimpered as he thrust again and again, gaining speed each time.

* * *

He lost patience with standing and he moved to clamber on the desk with her. She readily moved onto her back, her whimpers encouraging him to speed up. Once he was on top of her he entered her slowly, using every ounce of willpower he had to stop himself from going fast like he had moments ago. Hermione's frustrated cries and pleas met his ears and he grinned. He leaned closer and whispered, "What do you want?"

"Faster," Was all Hermione seemed to be capable of saying.

"Faster? What do you want?" He asked. She cried out and tried to control the situation herself but Severus held her in place. "Just tell me what you want." He murmured.

She gritted out through clenched teeth, "I want you to go faster Severu-" The last part of his name was cut off with a gasp from Hermione as he entered her roughly. He went faster and faster, the moaning of his name spurring him on. He yelled as he came, their cries mingling together as Hermione did the same. He collapsed onto his side when it was over next to a breathless Hermione.

"Hermione Jean Granger." He said still slightly out of breath. She tilted her head towards him in acknowledgement and he continued, "Will you do me the pleasure of being my girlfriend?"

Hermione rolled onto her side and whispered, "Yes."

* * *

**My goodness me, a lot happened in this chapter! Luna and Neville are together, the order find out Umbridge's plans, they find an antidote for Kingsley and Severus and Hermione are together too. I hope you enjoyed!**


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Do you guys remember what happened in the last chapter? If not here's a recap: They figure out that Umbridge is plotting to become minister of magic, Neville and Luna are now in a relationship, they find an antidote for Kingsley, they make plans to get the antidote to Kingsley and Hermione and Severus are in a relationship.**

**BTW: I'm just doing this because it can get annoying to flick back to the previous chapter each time you forget what happened in the last one. Hope I helped!**

Chapter 41

Severus walked into his room with a smile. It had been a while since he'd done that. After him and Hermione had calmed down he had cleaned up the papers that were on the floor, (they had been knocked off the desk) and had gotten dressed. Hermione had helped him and they split the pile between them to take them back to their own rooms. When they'd parted just outside Hermione's room, he had taken the initiative and had stopped her before she left. He gave her one last kiss before he headed back to his room. "Be careful or you might not make it back to your room." Hermione had whispered.

"I don't think I'm entirely opposed to the idea." He said with mock innocence but a mischievous grin had graced his face. Once he'd gotten back to his room he had gotten straight into the shower and had made sure he was clean. He got changed into his pyjamas and marked the small pile of papers he had with a smile on his face all the while.

* * *

Hermione entered her room and spun around in happiness. _That happened… That actually happened!_ She felt like a giddy schoolgirl but didn't really care. She had just had sex on a desk in a classroom with Severus Snape. A blush spread across her face but there was no one to see it. No one to hide it from. She checked the time. It was only quarter past ten. Hermione had a small list in her mind of what to do.

_Get a shower and floo Luna._

Her friends were lovely but she wasn't stupid. They wouldn't like to hear that she was in a relationship with Severus Snape. But she needed someone to tell. Harry wasn't going to take too kindly to the news. Though he had stopped disliking him as much since the war, Hermione knew that he wouldn't be happy to hear that she was in a relationship with him. Ron still disliked him and Hermione didn't want to seem like she was rubbing her relationship in his face by calling him individually. Though they had ended their relationship amicably Hermione still knew that it wouldn't be right to do that. Ginny was a maybe. She was incredibly open minded but liked to gossip. But if Hermione told her it was a secret she wouldn't say anything. _Maybe I'll call Ginny and Luna…_

After she'd gotten a shower Hermione flooed Luna to ask if she was available. She was, apparently Arthur had left planning till tomorrow since Molly had called him home about an emergency that had something to do with the twins. She wanted to see Neville too who had just left to come back to the castle. Ginny was home too and Hermione could hear quite a bit of shouting in the background. Fred and George must have done something bad. Ginny quickly agreed and said she'd be there in five minutes. Hermione decided to wait outside for them. Luna hadn't been to her room yet and wouldn't know where to go.

Once they were all comfortably settled Ginny asked, "What did you call us here for?" Hermione tried to speak but she was realising just how big this news was. She was Severus Snape's girlfriend! How was she supposed to tell them? She cleared her throat and licked her lips.

"I needed to tell you guys something. And I know you won't judge me- at least I don't think you wi-"

"Hermione get to the point." Ginny said with a smile.

"You know how you've been teasing me about Snape?"

"Yeeees?"

"Well, we-uh are together now." Hermione looked at Ginny to find her mouth open in shock and Luna looking at her like she had just said something completely not-shocking. "Say something please." Hermione risked. Ginny looked like she was composing herself and Luna spoke.

"I saw the picture of you both. The one that Colin took and you look good together. Were you together then?" Thank goodness she was calm.

"No, it was just today. After the meeting."

"So just now?" Ginny asked slowly. Hermione nodded. "So that means Harry and Ron don't know, right?"

"No, and I don't think they should know just yet." Ginny nodded and seemed to be thinking.

"When are you going to tell them?" She asked seeming to be recovering from the initial shock.

Hermione sighed, "I don't know. Maybe I'll let them see us at the next meeting."

"You have to tell them before that. They won't like finding out like that." Ginny said.

Hermione nodded, "I know, it's just that I know how they're going to react."

"No you don't," Luna said softly, "You don't know how anyone is going to react until they do."

Now it was the next day and Hermione had been informed by Neville at breakfast that him, Luna and Mr Weasley had met up this morning and were just finishing their plans to get the antidote to Kingsley. Mr Weasley was going to be the one carrying it out because he was the only one that worked in the ministry and could get it to his food on time. She had nodded politely but something was bothering her. Severus hadn't even said a good morning to her. He sat where he usually sat looking at his plate of food rather sullenly. Had he changed his mind? Well breakfast was ending; she might have time to ask him about it while they were working.

* * *

Severus awoke with a grimace. He abhorred mornings. Well he better get up, he had classes to teach. His aching muscles brought the memory of last night to the forefront of his mind and he tried not to smile. He had a reputation to keep up. There wasn't going to be any public displays of affection, Hermione would understand. But for now he had to get to breakfast and get to work.


	42. Chapter 42

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Not sure if it's entirely necessary for me to say this but I also do not own Prince Caspian or the Narnia series ;)**

Chapter 42

Severus hadn't even given her a smile while they were working. It was nearing lunch and he hadn't said anything to her other than instructions to get him this or keep an eye on that. Hermione didn't know why this sudden change had come over him but it was annoying her.

Now it was lunch. She was stuck in the classroom cleaning desks and hadn't been able to ask him to stay before he left. If Severus was going to act like that then so was she.

* * *

Severus watched as an angry looking Hermione took her usual seat. _What was up with her?_ He wondered. He'd ask her later but right now he wanted to eat. Minerva began speaking whilst he was in the middle of his soup, "What did you say? I didn't hear you." He asked.

She sighed, "I _said_ how do you think the mission is going. Do you think Arthur has gotten the stuff to Kingsley?" Pomona was sat at her side then Neville then Hermione. On his side there was Flitwick then Vector and then Sinistra. That's why she was speaking openly.

Severus shrugged, "I don't know. We'll find out soon won't we?"

Minerva sighed, "Soon isn't coming soon enough."

* * *

Umbridge had been shifted from the kitchens to flying lessons. Minerva hadn't wanted to risk another incident like the one with Kingsley and Hermione was glad that she was able to eat her food without checking for pink powder. Once she finished her food she went outside to sit by the lake. Her job was rather demanding and at lunches she would talk to the other staff. Today was a rare opportunity to sit down and read. She pulled out her copy of Prince Caspian and leant against the tree she was sitting under. She had read and reread the series many times but this time it was taking her longer to finish than the others. _Probably because you got yourself a job._ She thought to herself. She turned her attention to her book again with a little shake of her head. Hermione was fully engrossed in the pages when a shadow loomed over her book. She looked up, rather annoyed that someone had disrupted her quiet time when she saw that it was Severus. Her face almost relaxed into a smile when she remembered his attitude towards her during the entire day. "Anything I can do?" She asked sarcastically, turning back to her book.

* * *

Severus frowned wondering what had become of the usually cheery Hermione. "We are in a relationship you know? I think I can come and see how you're doing." He said with narrowed eyes.

"Oh really?" Hermione said. She was angry but he didn't know why. "You were acting like we were in a _relationship_ _all day_ today weren't you?" She continued sarcastically.

"What are you talking about? I'm not about to snog you in the middle of my lessons." He said scathingly. Her cheeks flushed with what he thought was embarrassment. He was wrong.

"I don't expect you to! What I do expect is a smile, a hello or bloody acknowledgement that I exist!" She yelled standing up to face him. She was quite a bit shorter than him. The sight of her standing there with her hands on her hips with red cheeks was rather amusing. He couldn't control himself on time and burst out laughing. This however, seemed to make the situation worse. "I can't believe you find this funny! You're absolutely insufferable!" She sounded so much like him that it only made him laugh harder.

She stormed away from him but before she could go far he had caught her wrist. She refused to look at him despite the fact that he asked her to. "Hermione," he said gently. She still didn't look at him. It didn't bother him and he continued speaking. "I do have a reputation to upkeep. I'm the scary strict teacher. That image isn't going to hold up very long if I'm overly affectionate with you. If I start giving you gooey eyed looks in the-" He was cut off by a snort from Hermione.

"You? Giving someone gooey eyed looks? I don't think so." She laughed. She seemed to have given up on her previous argument and he wasn't about to bring it up.

* * *

"We only have five minutes of lunch left. We might as well stay here." Her stomach fluttered at the use of 'we' and she inwardly berated herself. _Stop getting so excited over every little thing!_

"Yeah we should." She said trying not to smile.

Work had now finished and Neville had just come down to the dungeons with what seemed like important news. He was practically hopping on the spot. "It's done. At least we think it is." He said.

"What do you mean, 'you think it is.'" Hermione asked.

"He means that Arthur has probably gotten the antidote to him and we don't know whether it has taken effect yet. Am I right?" Asked Severus, who had managed to slither into the conversation.

"Spot on," Said Neville.

"Well then all we have to do is wait." She said with and she sighed. "Time seems to go so slowly though." Neville smiled sympathetically.

"I know but as long as you stay busy it should fly by. Speaking of busy Pomona wanted me to trim some plants at the end of the day. I've got to get going."

"Bye." She said with a wave.

"Bye." Neville said as he left. Then Severus spoke from behind her.

"Tea? It might make the time pass." Hermione turned to face him.

"That sounds wonderful."

It was in the evening that the waiting ended. Dinner had finished and the students were back in their common rooms. Hermione had lingered in the great hall along with many other teachers and was just about to leave when two aurors arrived. Minerva had greeted them with suspicion but once she found out what they were here for she welcomed them with open arms.

"Hello?" Minerva had said.

"Good evening, I'm Auror Darcy and this is Auror Nichols." Auror Darcy said. He was the taller of the two.

"May I ask why you are here?" She asked suspiciously. Auror Nichols spoke up.

"We are here to arrest Dolores Umbridge for charges that cannot be disclosed right now for confidentiality reasons."

"If you are going to take that woman away then I'll be grateful. However I am not letting her leave with two strangers that I don't know or trust." Minerva said, her jaw set like she was ready for a duel.

"Will you trust them if I tell you _I_ sent them?" Hermione turned to see Kingsley entering the great hall with a smile.

"Kingsley." Minerva greeted, "Glad to know you're feeling better."

"So am I, Arthur noticed me walking out of my office and took a chance to speak to me." Said Kingsley. "He caught me up on the events of the past few weeks and I decided to take action."

"I'm glad you are. That woman needs to stay behind bars, I said it all along." Said Minerva, sounding rather annoyed. "Well if you want to arrest her then she'll be on the second floor. I'll take you to her." Hermione followed the small crowd of teachers to the second floor. Moments later everyone was clearing a path for the two aurors who were leading Umbridge down the corridor. Within seconds the second floor was deserted as the teachers went to see what would happen. Hermione was about to follow when a voice stopped her.

"I think we should get some rest. We'll be lucky if we get any these next few days." It was Severus. Hermione knew that he was talking about the hearing and media attention that would be undoubtedly be coming their way in the next few days. She nodded knowing that he was right.

"Let's go." She said with a smile.

Hermione led them down the stairs into the dungeons and entered her room. Severus was hovering by the door, his cheeks red. "Come in then." She said, confused.

* * *

Severus hovered by the doorway, remembering the last time he had been in this room and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Come in then." Said Hermione, sounding confused. He reluctantly obliged and perched himself on the edge of her bed. "What is up with you?" She asked.

"Nothing." He sounded confident. It surprised even him, but his body understood better than him that he was going to have to stop acting so awkward otherwise the entire time he spent with Hermione would be awkward. She looked at him sceptically and he arched an eyebrow at her, daring her to challenge him. She seemed to realise that she wasn't going to get anywhere by pushing the point and broke eye contact first. _When did this turn into a staring competition?_ He stood up and walked around the bed so that he could be closer to Hermione. _That's step one done._ Then he hoisted himself up onto the bed and lay down. _That's step two done._ He wasn't surprised when Hermione moved to lie next to him, putting her head on his chest. They stayed like that for a while and Severus didn't notice when Hermione's breathing grew deeper and heavier or when his eyelids closed and his breathing took on the same pattern as Hermione's.


	43. Chapter 43

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**So Umbridge has been arrested! WHOOP WHOOP! XD Gosh I really dislike her. We've got quite a bit coming up in this chapter, I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 43 

Severus woke up, managing to open his eyes and look around blearily. Where was he? Then he remembered, last night. Umbridge had been arrested and Kingsley was cured. And he must have fallen asleep while he was with Hermione. Hermione herself was still asleep. She had a hold of one of his hands and was _cuddling_ it like it was a teddy bear. He smiled at her carefree face and gently pried his hand free. Cleaning up his side of the sheets he left to get changed into a new pair of robes.

* * *

Hermione awoke to find an awake Severus sitting on her dressing table stool. He was immersed in a book and Hermione didn't want to disturb him by getting up. She wasn't going to stay in bed all day though, she had to teach. Well, help teach. Hermione felt a pang in her stomach when she realised she'd be leaving the job soon. Minerva was happy to keep her on as an assistant but Hermione had only wanted experience and she'd gotten it. She knew that she wasn't going to be an assistant for the rest of her life but the thought of leaving her post actually upset her. Hermione knew that it was only the close proximity to Severus and being in the school rather than her actual role that made her like the job. She scrambled out of bed and pulled out her clothes for the day, she went into the bathroom down the hall, (taking her clothes with her this time), and woke herself up with a quick shower. Casting a drying charm on her hair, Hermione pulled on her skinnies and a baggy grey top. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she left the bathroom with a smile.

At breakfast an owl delivered her The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler. She didn't take The Quibbler seriously and only bought it because Luna was her friend and she'd started trusting The Daily Prophet a bit more since Kingsley was in power. The front cover of The Daily Prophet was exactly what she had expected. A picture of Dolores Umbridge with a bold headline. Apparently pages 7, 8 and 9 had a continuation of the article. Right now she was hungry, the article could wait. To her surprise Severus vacated his usual seat to sit next to her. Her food appeared in front of her and they chatted while they ate. Nobody seemed to notice or care. Severus excused himself after finishing his food, (he had to get the ingredients out for a practical) and Hermione turned her attention back to the newspaper. Skimming through the front page and page seven- Which contained a brief outline of the arrest and Umbridge's timeline of 'important events'.- She turned to page eight. It was a statement from Kingsley.

_Minister of magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, speaking at a news conference early this morning: I am speaking to inform the wizarding public about the events of the past few weeks. Last night we arrested Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for crimes that cannot be disclosed just yet. During the course of the trial more information will be released to the public. But for now it is best we stay silent. I like to inform the public about the happenings in their government, however there are limits. I will ask reporters to also respect those limits as you are not excluded from the public. The action that we are going to take next will be a trial and during that time Dolores Umbridge will be under arrest for the safety of the public._

Hermione smiled as she finished reading Kingsley's statement. She was glad he wasn't exposing everything at once as it seemed rather far-fetched. Kingsley wasn't stupid; he knew what the public should hear and when they should hear it. Well, work was awaiting her. Hermione smiled as she stood up from her seat and made her way down to the dungeons. She had work and then one more thing to do.

After Hermione finished work she went out to meet Harry and Ron at a muggle restaurant. As soon as she got there she found Harry and Ron waiting outside. "Hi!" She said with a smile and gave each of them a hug in turn. Her stomach fluttered uncomfortably at the thought of what she was going to do.

"Why'd you call us here?" Ron asked as he placed his order. They'd had to rehearse it twice with Ron finally going for the chicken tikka masala. They'd ordered it mild because they'd just found out they had never seen Ron eat anything spicy. The discovery surprised her- Ron ate a lot- that he'd never tried anything with chilli. Well he'd had chilli sauce on his chips before…

"Well I wanted to tell you guys something." She said with a nervous smile.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Asked Ron giving her a strange look. Harry looked worried.

"Is there something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No! No… It's good news- at least I think it is." Their orders came just then- it must have been the fastest she'd ever been served in a restaurant. Talk was halted for a moment as everyone tried their dishes. Hermione kept a careful eye on Ron hoping that he wouldn't make a scene if he didn't like the food. To Hermione's relief though, he did enjoy it. But he was tucking in at an inappropriate pace. She gave him a little kick under the table.

"What?" He said with his mouth full. She fought not to grimace. Ron may have been one of her best friends, but his eating habits really needed improving.

"Eat slower." She said quietly. He nodded- albeit sullenly- and ate slower. His eyes betraying that he wanted to eat faster.

Once they had finished Harry brought up the question again, "Why're we here 'Mione?" She took a deep breath to compose herself and attempted to subdue the fluttering in her stomach that had arisen again.

"Promise me you'll stay calm and listen to what I have to say."

"I promise." Harry said laughing.

"You too?" She said turning to Ron. He nodded looking amused.

"I promise."

"I'm… I'm in a relationship with Snape." Ron burst out laughing but Harry sat completely still, his mouth open in shock. "R-Ron this isn't a joke." She said, half hoping he wouldn't hear.

"Come on 'Mione. You really expect us to fall for that?" Ron said, calming down slightly.

"Ron I mean it." She looked him straight in the eye and Ron saw that she wasn't lying. His brows furrowed.

"Snape? As in dungeons, all black and potions Snape?" He asked incredulously. She gulped and nodded. Harry still hadn't said anything.

"Harry?" She asked nervously. He leant back and rubbed a hand over his face.

"'Mione I- I don't know what to say." He said looking at her with worried eyes. "Are… you happy?" He asked hesitantly.

She shrugged and said, "Right now I am. It's only been a couple of days."

"A couple of days…" Ron mused. "When?"

"Just after the last order meeting." This seemed to make them need to compose themselves. They couldn't see but she was fidgeting with her dress under the table.

"Are you _sure_ you're happy?" Harry asked again.

She gave him a smile, "Yes. I'm sure." Harry nodded taking some more time to think to himself. The waiter came over with their bill and Hermione paid. Harry being too preoccupied with his thoughts and Ron having no idea as to how muggle money worked. "We need to go." Hermione said. Harry looked up and stood. As did Ron and Hermione. When they walked outside the cool evening air seemed to revive them all.

"Ron?" Asked Harry.

"Yeah mate?"

"Can I talk to you in private for a second?" Ron nodded and they walked a little way away so Hermione could still see them but not hear them. After a quick discussion they came back. Harry took a deep breath, "If you're happy then I'm happy." The words seemed to take a weight off of him and his shoulders dropped from their tense position.

"Same here. I just don't want to walk in on you two together." Hermione blushed.

"You wouldn't have to worry about that! We're busy with work and besides we've only do-"

"DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" The two boys yelled in unison with their fingers in their ears. She snorted. They were like little kids. But she was glad they weren't angry at her and put her arms around them both.

"I love you guys." She said with a genuine smile.

* * *

**And a big thank you to everyone who has left kudos, bookmarked and commented so far! It's lovely to know you're enjoying the story :)**


	44. Chapter 44

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Another recap!- Because I'm sweet like that ;)- Umbridge gets arrested, Kingsley makes a public announcement about the upcoming trial and Harry and Ron find out about Hermione and Severus' relationship!**

**Now we've got Umbridge's trial!**

Chapter 44

Hermione had received an owl from Kingsley informing her about the trial. After work her and Severus had their usual cup of tea and Hermione found out that Severus had received the same letter. They were both due to appear in court tomorrow to present their evidence. The letter apologised for the short notice but Severus didn't seem to think it good enough. Hermione managed to console the grumpy Severus after fifteen minutes of patient explanations. After that he cheered up considerably, (well, he wasn't in a dour mood) and topic moved to their relationship. "You know, we haven't really been acting like the conventional couple. Our mannerisms towards each other haven't changed much." Hermione mused.

"I'm glad." Severus said. "I wouldn't want to be expected to act like a total romantic. It's just not my cup of tea."

Hermione nodded, "Acting all lovey dovey with someone hasn't ever appealed to me. I like what we have, it's comfortable."

"But does it seem like a relationship?" Severus asked.

"I guess it does. In our own way. We're far from conventional people; quite the opposite really, so not being in a conventional relationship is fine. Well, I should hope its fine considering I've told Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna about it." She laughed. Severus however, didn't laugh. Instead his face seemed to go paler.

"You told people?" He whispered.

"Only my close friends. What's the problem with that?" She asked confused.

"Because you're with _me_." Hermione went to interrupt but he put up a hand. "I'm the dour potions master. Your friends won't stay friends with you for long if they have to see me any more often than the order meetings."

"Severus! My friends are fine with it! As long as I'm happy they're happy and I'm not going to be with you all the time. They won't mind as long as _you_ don't give them any reason to." She said with a frown.

* * *

Severus' eyes widened, insulted. " _I_ give them reason to? What will I do?!" She arched an eyebrow at him and he gave up, too tired to bother with an argument. "Fine," He sighed, "I won't give them any reason to mind me being with you. But," He said, eyes lighting up in mischief, "If I have to meet your friends, you have to meet mine."

First day of the trial: Severus straightened his formal black robes. They weren't any different from his regular robes; the only difference was that they were newer than his other ones. Hermione had come with him, wearing a formal black dress with open robes on top. It was form fitting and went just below her knees. The open robes hid the tight fit. She was also wearing a simple gold necklace that gave the outfit a modest yet stylish air. When did he become the fashion analyst?

* * *

Hermione saw from the corner of her eye that Severus was looking at her clothes. She gave herself a little smirk. Her intention had been to let him see the form fitting dress before she put the robes on top. She had wanted him to see her like that so he could see her body without her being obvious about trying to catch his attention. _Not that he hasn't already seen my body._ Her cheeks flushed and she snapped out of her thoughts, ready to enter the courtroom.

Hermione and Severus had gone over their evidence the night before, to make their part of the case convincing. The pictures would come first and the voice recordings last so the end of their part would memorable. Kingsley was allowed to have involvement in this case because he had been affected by Umbridge. The ministers word against Umbridge's. They would gain a point there. However that minister had been acting out for the past few weeks, so Neville and Luna would be going straight after him to show the puluerem instabilitatem and the antidote. After Neville and Luna, Arthur would be saying his part about getting the antidote to Kingsley and Hermione and Severus would be showing their evidence.

She had come with Severus intentionally so Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna could get used to seeing them together. Well, really it was only Harry, Ron and Ginny since Luna didn't seem to care all that much.

Once they entered the courtroom they took their seats with Luna, Neville and Mr Weasley on a hard wooden bench. Hermione looked around; the courtroom was only half full. Many members of the wizengamot had not arrived yet. Umbridge was there though. She was guarded by two aurors, the same ones from the other night. Auror Darcy and Auror Nichols. Umbridge was looking around the room with barely any interest and was doing her best to look innocent. Hermione's nose wrinkled. The woman was still trying to pretend to be innocent after all that she'd done? Harry arrived next with Ginny and Ron came a little while after with Fred, George and Mrs Weasley. After that Kingsley arrived with more wizengamot members. Hermione noticed Ginny's eyes flick to Severus' face when she had first arrived. Ron and Harry did the same. They all seemed to be analysing them both. Hermione didn't mind, though it was a little uncomfortable to feel their eyes on the back of her neck. To take her mind off of it she struck up a small conversation with Severus and before she knew it, it was time to begin.

* * *

Severus watched as Kingsley went to sit in the large wooden chair in the middle of the courtroom. The silence in the room making him impatient. Finally someone spoke.

* * *

After a tiring session the hearing was adjourned for lunch. Hermione and Severus still hadn't presented their evidence. Neither had Neville and Luna. The wizengamot had wanted to go over every little detail in the past few weeks. So when Kingsley told his story he was questioned about it by at least seven different members. He was also asked about his inappropriate behaviour in the past few weeks to which he replied everything he knew. This wasn't much since all he had been told was that Umbridge had slipped him a powder in his tea and that he'd been given the antidote in his lunch. When pressed about the powder he said, "I don't know much about it at all. Mr Longbottom and Miss Lovegood have more information on it." After that the hearing was stopped for lunch. Hermione had been watching Umbridge very carefully throughout the trial and saw the only the slightest bit of shock on her face when the powder was mentioned. She had quickly schooled it back into an innocent expression before anyone saw. Or at least before she _thought_ anyone had seen. Hermione had turned to her side to see Severus looking intently at Umbridge like she had been doing. His frown told her that he had also seen what she had seen.

Everyone went to the little restaurant in the ministry building. It was rather busy because the staff that worked at the ministry were on their lunch too. They were served a little bit late, (everyone was sat at the same table) so nobody wasted any time in tucking in. Hermione's spinach and ricotta cannelloni was amazing but she barely had time to finish it when lunch ended. She had only managed to have little snippets of conversation with a few people before she was ushered into the courtroom again.

Kingsley was called up for another fifteen minutes before his part was finished. _Weren't wizengamot hearings meant to be short?_ She wondered. She inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. _The minister of magic claims to have been drugged by a former Azkaban prisoner. They wouldn't want to mess this up, would they?_ Luna and Neville went up next. One of the members of the wizengamot expanded the chair so they could both fit. Neville and Luna went straight to the point but had to keep repeating bits of information after the first sentence. A large book was consulted and a hushed discussion in the back corner of the room confirmed that the powder did exist. Neville set the jar that contained the powder on his lap and him and Luna began alternating in telling their part of the story. They were stopped multiple times to check if what they were saying fit in with Kingsley's statement. The large book was produced quite a few times and after two hours of questioning on the powder, the questioning went to how they found the antidote.

* * *

Severus tried to stifle a yawn as the same tedious process began with that. After yet another two hours Neville and Luna's part was finally over. Arthur stood and made his way to the chair. It had been shrunken to a single seat now. He was repeatedly questioned on his story and it was another hour before he was free to sit back on the hard wooden bench.

* * *

The court was adjourned again for a small break and Hermione left the courtroom gladly. Severus' hand was at the small of her back and she was sure Ginny noticed it. Hermione left the ministry with Severus to sit on a bench just outside. The cool air made her relax again after hours of sitting in the courtroom. They sat there for a little while in silence. Severus broke it with a sigh.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I'm just wondering how long _our_ part is going to be. I'm fed up of that courtroom already."

Hermione sighed, "I don't know. They'll want to know the backstory behind each photo and recording after questioning us about them and during that we'll probably be stopped a lot so that they can check if the story fits or not and more questions." Severus groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I can't be arsed with this."

"Neither can I, but we have to be patient to get Umbridge back behind bars." She said gently.

He nodded, "You're right. I think our half an hour's nearly up." She stood up reluctantly and went back inside. It was their turn now.

* * *

Severus tried not to think about slamming his head on a table and went to the middle of the courtroom with Hermione. Once everyone had settled and quieted down they were asked to present their evidence. He went first with the pictures, trying not to snap at whoever interrupted him. After twenty minutes they had only covered the first picture and Severus grimaced thinking about how long it was going to take to cover the others and the recordings.

Two hours had passed and they had only just finished the pictures. It was now quarter past seven and the trial was stopped for the day. They'd be back at the same time tomorrow to finish up. He didn't bother with goodbyes and went straight back to Hogwarts. He needed a rest.

* * *

Hermione looked around to see if Severus was there but he'd already gone. That was understandable; the court process was wearing her patience thin. And she was incredibly patient. Severus did not have much patience at all; Hermione had wondered how he had managed to keep his temper in check whenever he was interrupted. But analysing her partner's behaviour wasn't what she wanted to do right now. All Hermione wanted to do right now was rest.


	45. Chapter 45

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**The hearing is going to be finishing in this chapter and we'll get to see the verdict. DUN DUN DUUUUUN… Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 45

Hermione awoke with a smile which promptly fell off of her face when she realised that she had to present evidence at the ministry once again. With a sigh Hermione scrambled out of bed and put on the same outfit from yesterday. She really couldn't be bothered pulling out another one and doing all the coordinating. Tying her hair up into a bun she went out of her room to breakfast.

She was delivered The Daily Prophet and the front cover was exactly what she had expected.

**Former prisoner attacks minister?!**

Underneath there was a picture of Umbridge looking incredibly shifty and there was a brief outline of the trial. It went into more detail in the next few pages and Hermione noticed with no small measure of relief that the paper seemed to be in favour of their side. "Why're you smiling?" Asked Severus. "Who smiles on a morning?" He had just sat next to her with an audible groan.

" _This_ is why I'm smiling," she said sliding the newspaper over to him.

"What about it?" He asked.

"It's in our favour! A lot of people read this you know!" It still didn't seem to lift his spirits but she shrugged it off and went back to her breakfast.

* * *

Severus was glad that they were nearly finished. For the past hour they had been discussing the first recording. Hermione had played the second one and they were talking about that now. He could tell that Hermione was getting a little bit impatient but the prospect of this ordeal being over today had Severus being a lot more patient than the day before.

It was another hour before they had finished discussing the second recording. The hearing was adjourned so the wizengamot could make a decision. As they left the courtroom a sudden buzz of activity overwhelmed them all. Reporters. Dictaquills and loud voices surrounded them and Severus stopped himself more than a few times from losing his patience and yelling at a few of them. In the press of people he felt a hand find his and looked down to see it was Hermione's. He pushed against the wall of reporters pulling Hermione behind him. Ginny and Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were beside them, covering their intertwined hands. He felt a small stab of gratefulness towards the three of them but it was gone as quickly as it came when Ronald tripped and triggered a pile of people to fall like a domino effect. He was knocked off of his feet by a female reporter and felt a thud as her and Hermione landed on him. Severus managed to free himself in all the confusion and pulled Hermione up too. "Let's go." He whispered.

* * *

Hermione re-entered the courtroom nervously. What would the decision be? There was no need for shushing as everyone had entered silently, wanting the entire debacle to be done with. "We have decided with a majority vote that Dolores Umbridge is guilty. Her sentencing will be done separately. Thank you for your cooperation and help, you may leave the courtroom now." All of the drama and all the time that was spent had finally come down to this. Hermione didn't stop a smile from stretching across her face as she watched Umbridge being led out of the courtroom. After she left everyone else went. The reporters were still outside the courtroom but were a lot less rowdy.

"What was the verd-"

"What was the-"

"-Verdict?!" The reporters all asked the same question and Hermione gladly answered.

"Guilty." She left the ministry building with all her friends gladly.

"'Mione?!" Harry called as she was walking away.

"Yeah?"

"There's a celebratory dinner at mine next week! You and your partner are welcome!" He called.

"We'll be there!" She said with a smile.

Once she got back into the castle she made her way to Severus' room. "Severus?!" She called entering the room. The sound of a tap running told her he was in the bathroom and she decided to wait. _Why didn't she get an en-suite bathroom?_

* * *

Severus finished washing his face and left the bathroom. He entered his room to find Hermione sitting on his bed looking entirely at home. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Nice to see you too." She laughed. "I just wanted to tell you that we're going to Harry's house next week for a celebratory dinner." _When was this decided?_

"We?" He asked.

"You were invited too and I said you'd be there." She said with a smirk.

"I didn't know that you could read my mind." He said sarcastically.

"Please! Harry inviting you is showing me that he's fine with our relationship. _You_ said that you weren't going to give them any reason to-"

"Fine! I'll go. Happy?" She seemed to always catch him whenever he was feeling tired or impatient otherwise she wouldn't have gotten her way so many times.

"Very."

* * *

Hermione watched as Severus took off his robes to change into his pyjamas. Before he could put them on Hermione stood and walked over to him. She hoped he wasn't so tired that they couldn't have a little fun. Running her fingers across his back she slid them to the front. He knew what she was doing. She could see the glint in his eyes. Severus shut the bedroom door and undressed down to his underwear.

* * *

_So this is what she wants to do?_ He thought to himself as he walked back to Hermione. She tried to take matters into her own hands but he held her wrists, shaking his head. He slowly pulled of her open robes running his fingers lightly on her shoulders and down her arms. He saw a trail of goosebumps following where his fingers went. Once her robes were off he took in the view before him. Hermione was truly beautiful. Making quick work of taking off her dress they moved to the bed. He lay down and she was on her hands and knees on top of him. He thought to say something but he hesitated. Would it break the moment? "You're beautiful." He whispered. A deep red blush spread across her cheeks and Severus smirked. He hadn't ruined anything. Pulling her head down he captured her lips in a soft kiss. Their hands roamed each other's bodies. Severus undid the clasp of Hermione's bra with ease and tugged it off. His fingers begun kneading and probing her breasts, the feel of them under his fingers turning him on. Her hands in return wandered beneath the waistband of his underwear and wrapped around his erection and she moved her hands up and down slowly. Painfully slow. He lifted up his hips to encourage her to speed up but she simply smiled against his lips and pushed him back down. "Is this how you want to play?" He muttered, his lips brushing hers. He removed one hand from her breasts to pull off her underwear.

* * *

She knew where he was going to go with this and she was excited. She tried not to gasp when she felt his fingers slide against her but couldn't contain her gasp when one slid inside her. It went in and out and was soon joined by a second finger. She moaned when his third finger rubbed against her. He pinched and rubbed deftly and cleverly and soon enough he was in control. But she didn't really care. Their kiss turned more urgent as the rest of their movements did. Severus' underwear was quickly removed and she positioned him to her entrance. Lowering herself onto him she heard Severus groan. She lifted herself up and down again.

* * *

His hands held her hips to help her movement and soon they were going fast. Severus lifted up his hips to meet her half way and he struggled to keep his eyes open. But he had to. He had to keep his eyes open so he could look at the beauty that was riding him. Her hair was falling out of her bun and her head was tilted back in pleasure. Pleasure that he was giving her. Her breasts bounced each time she was entered and her moans grew louder with each bounce. She leant forward as she tried to keep up the pace and Severus caught a nipple in his mouth. A cry of his name and a gasp mingled together as he rolled his tongue around it.

* * *

Hermione's thighs were burning but she pushed on through the pain. Severus' wicked tongue was teasing her. She slowed down the pace to give her tired limbs a rest and so she could feel his ministrations better. He yelped around her nipple in protest but it soon turned into a moan when she squeezed tight around him. He stopped teasing her entirely and his head fell back. She could hear his groans and gasps and sped up again. They cried out together as she felt him hit a sweet spot. That was her undoing and she clenched around him as she came, too busy in her own pleasure to notice Severus had done the same.


	46. Chapter 46

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**We've got a new chapter! We're going to be finishing up soon :( And by soon I think there will only be one more chapter after this one. I'll tell you more about it at the end of this chapter :) I'm glad you all enjoyed the story so far and have stuck with it! I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 46

A week later and they were making their way to Harry's house for the celebratory dinner. Severus had been grumbling all day about not getting a rest and Hermione had reminded him multiple times that this was a celebration. Something _positive._ They made their way through to the back garden as the sign on the gate instructed and were met with hugs and kisses from most of the people out there. As they all went back to doing what they had been doing before, Hermione pulled Severus inside so they could greet Harry and Ron. "Do _I_ really have to do this?" He groaned.

"They're your hosts Severus! Of course you have to!" She admonished.

"Fine." He muttered.

"Stop sulking," She laughed.

"I'm not sulking!" He said defensively.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!" They both had to shut up as they entered the kitchen to see a bunch of people there.

"'Mione!" Harry exclaimed, rushing over to envelop her in a hug. Ginny joined in and so did Ron.

"Professor Snape," Said Harry offering a polite hand. Severus took it and shook. Ron did the same and Ginny kissed both his cheeks. "Gin, will you be alright for a sec? I need to talk to Ron and 'Mione about something."

"Yeah sure!" Harry pulled them out of the kitchen to the entrance hall.

"What's up mate?" Ron asked.

"I- I wanted to ask you guys something important." He said with a sense of urgency.

"What?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"I'm- I'm planning on… proposing." Hermione let out an excited shriek and hugged Harry.

"I'm so happy for you! But why are you asking _us_?" She asked.

"I wanted to know how to do it. And if you'd be fine with it Ron." Harry said gently.

"Why wouldn't I be fine with it? You've kept her happy this far." Ron smiled at his best friend and Hermione's heart melted to see the relieved grin on Harry's face.

"Well," Harry said, "We need to plan!"

Half an hour later they had planned when, (just after they finished eating), and how Harry was going to propose. It was relatively quick considering it was such a big thing but Harry had wanted to propose for a long time and already had the ring ready.

* * *

Severus went to sit down as the food was put on the table. He was quickly joined by Hermione and Arthur both of whom seemed to be more jovial than usual. He had to admit the food was delicious and he wasn't surprised when he was told Molly had made it.

Once they finished eating Harry stood up, presumably to make a speech of some sort. He watched confused as the boy dropped on his knee before Ginny Weasley.

* * *

Hermione watched struggling to contain her excitement as Harry dropped on his knee before Ginny. The redhead had a hand over her mouth in shock but Hermione could see in her eyes that she wasn't daring to hope. The fear turned to joy as Harry spoke.

"Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?" Harry's facial expression went from nervous to alarm as a tear slipped from Ginny's eyes.

"Yes!" She cried as she jumped out of her seat to hug an elated Harry. Everyone round the table cheered and soon glasses were clinking as they toasted to the newly engaged couple.

* * *

Under the table Hermione's hand found his.

* * *

Four months later: It was the middle of December and everyone- students _and_ staff- were excited about the upcoming Christmas holidays. Hermione breathed in the crisp winter air and watched as a first year giggled when she exhaled a little cloud. She smiled and nodded towards the entrance where most of the students were, it was lunch time.

Over the past few months Severus and Hermione had been becoming a lot more open about their relationship. They were never asked directly but Harry had told her Tonks and Mrs Weasley had both asked him about it. He was free to tell them about it and Hermione knew he had when at the next order meeting she felt a lot of eyes on her and Severus. Presumably everyone had deemed the relationship acceptable because there was never any talk against it. Most people knew about it now including quite a few students, though Severus and Hermione had to keep a professional distance from each other, (during work hours). Everyone who knew had gotten used to it by know and for that Hermione was glad.

She took her usual seat next to Severus in the great hall. She had stayed on at Hogwarts. Not as an assistant but as a teacher. Minerva had offered the transfiguration job to her about a month ago and Hermione had enthusiastically accepted. "The Christmas holidays are coming up soon." Severus said as she sat down. He seemed to be nervous about something.

"What's up?" She asked. He looked up alarmed but relaxed quickly.

"I should've known you'd notice something." He said with a sigh.

"Should I be worried?"

"No- well that would depend on you. For _me_ \- never mind… I was _thinking_ that over the holidays you… well you could move in with me." Her shocked silence seemed to make him more nervous "At Spinners End, the renovations have all been done of cour-" He stopped his rush of speech when Hermione gently placed her hand on his leg and said:

"There would be nothing I'd like better."

* * *

**So we ended on a happy note! The end of this story is going to be a summary of all the characters' lives after this took place. Probably a couple of sentences for each one. So not really a story like chapter, more like bullet points… I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you to every single reader.**


	47. Chapter 47

**AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!**

**Edit: I just rearranged the chapter a bit as I think some people might miss the last part I added on :)**

**A quick update- the dresses that Ginny and Hermione wore to the reunion ball/dance are on my tumblr :)**  
**The URL is: scrumptiousinternetllama dot tumblr dot com**  
 **There's a page specifically for Experience on there :)**

**The last chapter! This is very short but it's just here to tie up and finish of the end of the story. Look at me saying this is short! At the start when I began writing this story this was my average chapter XD**

Chapter 37

Hermione enjoyed her job as transfigurations professor and during the Christmas holidays Hermione stayed at Severus' house on Spinners End. She spent most of her holidays there afterwards.

Severus decided to renovate Spinners End instead of moving because he didn't want to run away from his bad past. He wanted to make a better future. With Hermione.

Lucius and Narcissa kept up their healthy relationship.

Remus and Tonks had a winter wedding a couple of weeks after the Christmas holidays ended.

Luna and Neville got engaged six months after Harry and Ginny.

Harry and Ginny got married in the summer. It was an outdoor wedding with a marvellous turnout.

Sirius and Regulus managed to mend their relationship. Regulus became a lot more outgoing in order meetings. And Sirius even managed to get along, (be civil) with Kreacher.

Harry, Ron and Hermione saw each other often despite their busy schedules and remained friends.

Tiffany and Michelle opened up a business together. Ginny got ready for her wedding there.

Lucius and Severus stayed friends and in a un- intoxicated state, Severus told Lucius about Hermione and their relationship.

Dean and Seamus stayed good friends and often helped Fred and George out at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Fred and George kept their business going and the order meetings still happened every week in the stockroom.

* * *

Four years later: Hermione waddled into the kitchen and plucked her one year old little girl from the table, causing the floating spoon above her head to drop with a thud. She was six months along with another daughter and it was beginning to get difficult to chase after Emily. The wriggling little girl suddenly stopped and stared into Hermione's eyes as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. Her eyes were dark and expressive, just like her fathers. "Hello! What are my two favourite ladies doing today?" Severus asked walking into the kitchen. Emily immediately began wriggling again to get to her father and he picked her up with ease. Hermione's heart melted to see the look of utter adoration that came upon his face whenever he saw his daughter. The tense feeling in her back evaporated the moment he turned that same gaze towards her.

Six years later: Emily and Lila were the perfect mix of her and Severus. Emily had long straight hair just like her fathers, but it had the same colour as her. Lila on the other hand had wild curls that were jet black. Both girls had Hermione's features but had Severus' dark expressive eyes. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched Severus charm a rabbit teddy to jump around the room. "What are you smiling at?" He asked playfully. All of a sudden Hermione felt rather teary.

"Thank you," She whispered, "For being so amazing."

Severus looked confused for a moment but his eyes softened, "Thank _you_. For giving me all this." He said gesturing to the space around him.

* * *

**This was quite short but it was there to wrap up the story and not just leave it hanging on the ending of the last chapter :) So this is the end of the story! :(**

**Thank you guys for reading, leaving kudos, bookmarking and commenting on this story. It means a lot to me, I'll check my email and I'll have lots of lovely notifications.** **Thank you so much for being supportive and helpful! :)**

**Sarah**

**PS: If you do wish to contact me. You can PM me on FFN or here and/or find me on Tumblr. scrumptiousinternetllama dot tumblr dot com :)**

**Aaaaand considering this is the last chapter I'd love to see you guys comment! If you haven't reviewed yet then please do so now. And to the lovely people I've heard from so far, I'd love to hear from you :)**


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